Jill Pay
Jill Pay | |
|---|---|
| Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Commons | |
| In office 30 January 2008 – 31 January 2012 | |
| Speaker | Michael Martin John Bercow |
| Preceded by | Peter Grant Peterkin |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 May 1951 Croydon, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | John Pay |
Jill Pay (born 10 May 1951) is a retired civil servant and official of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She was Serjeant at Arms in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.[1] Pay is the first woman to have held the position[2] Her appointment was unusual in that the position is one normally reserved for those with a military background. Pay's position conferred responsibility for security in the House of Commons. She announced her retirement on 13 October 2011, effective 31 January 2012.[3]
Career
Pay replaced Major General Peter Grant Peterkin as Serjeant at Arms in 2008. She is a former civil servant who had previously worked as a business manager. She had worked in Parliament since 1994 when her title was Head Office Keeper. She was appointed Deputy Serjeant at Arms in 2004.[4] Before she assumed the role of Serjeant at Arms, the role was downgraded, something with which the Queen was said to be unhappy. The position is a crown appointment. Pay was not granted the traditional audience with the monarch.[5]
Damian Green search
In 2008, Pay became embroiled in political controversy when it was revealed she was the official who had consented to a police search on Damian Green's Commons office.[2] There was some suggestion that Pay was made a scapegoat in order to protect the reputation of the then Commons Speaker Michael Martin.[4]
See also
References
- ^ UK Parliament "Serjeant at Arms". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ a b Walker, Peter (3 December 2008). "Damian Green row: Profile of Jill Pay, serjeant at arms". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Jill Pay (13 October 2011). "Retirement letter" (PDF). Parliament.uk.
- ^ a b Kirkup, James (3 December 2008). "Damian Green affair: Profile of Jill Pay". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Warner, Gerald (3 December 2008). "Michael Martin trapped by the consequences of his own chippy 'reform'". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
the Queen to refuse her the private audience traditionally granted to an incoming Sergeant at Arms