Advert for new SEAC members

The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) is appointed by Ministers and sponsored jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency. Its role is to provide independent expert scientific advice to the Government on spongiform encephalopathies such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and scrapie. SEAC's remit is wide-ranging, covering public health, food safety and animal health issues. SEAC is committed to making as much of its work as possible open to public scrutiny. Members of SEAC are required to be independent and leading experts within their fields, and are selected for their personal knowledge and experience.

The Committee members represent relevant medical, veterinary and scientific fields, and the public interest. Members have collective responsibility for the operation of the committee. Four to six meetings are held annually which usually last one working day, and are normally held in London. There is also an agreement to hold one meeting a year in a Devolved Administration. Additional meetings may arise and some matters are also be dealt with by correspondence. Members are reimbursed travel and accommodation expenses and are entitled to an attendance fee of £129, with additional allowances of up to £99 per meeting for preparation. Members are appointed to SEAC for up to three years, and may be asked to serve a second term.

As part of its membership review the Government wishes to appoint two new members to the Committee:

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed before a recommendation is made to Ministers for appointment. Successful candidates for both posts will have strong presentational and committee skills.

If you are interested in either of the vacancies, are suitably qualified and could make the commitment which membership requires, please write to SEAC Secretariat, Area 108, 1A Page Street, London, SW1P 4PQ or access the website www.seac.gov.uk, for an information pack. Application forms may be found at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/appointments

The closing date for applications is 9 May 2005

The government is committed to improving the diversity of the boards of its public bodies and welcomes, in particular, applications from members of currently under-represented groups, including women, people from ethnic backgrounds and disabled people. All public appointments are based on the principle of merit.