HOT SEAT
An interview with Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC Patron of SRP
Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC is the first Patron of SRP and accepted the role in 2016 . Born in Wales in 1948 , he was educated at Epsom College . He studied Law at King ' s College London and was called to the Bar by Gray ' s Inn in 1970 , becoming a QC in 1984 , at the age of 36 . From 1983 – 97 he was the Liberal ( then Liberal Democrat ) MP for Montgomeryshire in Mid Wales and was the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 1992-7 . Appointed a Life Peer in 1999 , he was awarded the CBE in 2012 for services to national security . He was the President of The Security Institute until 2016 .
SRP ' s Director of Engagement , Jennifer Humphries , speaks with Lord Carlile about his decision to become SRP Patron and the importance of SRP raising its profile .
Can you explain the role of a patron of a professional society ? A patron stands for the society and takes up issues and represents the society to outside bodies . Within the House of Lords , patrons normally support in an area where they are not an expert , so there is no conflict of interest . One of the reasons I took up the invitation to represent SRP was that it was one of the least well-known distinguished professional bodies and I could add a public face to its intellectual brilliance .
How does this role benefit SRP ? As a member of the House of Lords , I have
Lord Carlile at his first SRP Annual Dinner addressing the Society in 2017 in Aberdeen .
the opportunity to ask questions and express SRP ' s view within Parliament , to draw attention of members ( including ministers ) to SRP ' s issues . SRP is less well-known to politicians than , say , the General Medical Council or The Law Society .
What do you bring to the role of Patron of SRP ? As a member of the House of Lords and a senior lawyer I bring a public face to SRP , but I also run a business which focuses on security , as well as having been a reviewer of terrorism legislation for a significant period . Therefore , there are strategic priorities of SRP members which relate to my involvement in national security issues .
How have you found supporting SRP for the last five years ? Interesting – you have high quality members and so many supremely qualified people . It ' s frustrating that SRP isn ' t more extrovert in its activities and more people don ' t know about its work . This is improving , but you are a small organisation and growth is needed to allow you to move into a place where you could have specialist communication people to help support , if a radiation event were to occur .
Has anything surprised you about the Society ? The quality of the dancing of the members was better than expected ! Seriously , I welcome the conceptional breadth of
24 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk