New appointment of Clerk Assistant of the Commons
8 June 2015 (updated on 8 June 2015)
The Queen has approved the Speaker’s recommendation that John Benger, the current Director of Service Delivery in the Department of Information Services, House of Commons, be appointed Clerk Assistant and Director General of the Department of Chamber and Committee Services with effect from 1 July 2015.
The post of Clerk Assistant dates from 1640: the Department of Chamber and Committee Services was created in 2007 and, with some 500 staff, provides advice and support for all proceedings of the House and its Committees, and also comprises the Official Report (Hansard) and the Serjeant at Arms Directorate, responsible for ceremonial and security.
John Benger, 55, joined the House Service in 1986 and until 2012 served as a clerk in DCCS. John worked on several committees, including Public Accounts, Health and Treasury, and a range of procedural offices, including the Public Bill Office and Table Office, before becoming Clerk of Delegated Legislation then a Principal Clerk in the Committee Office.
He also held the post of Acting Director General in the Department of Information Services from July 2014 to May 2015.