Joan MacNaughton

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Joan MacNaughton - Civil servant

Background

Joan MacNaughton joined the Home Office in 1972. She spent five years in the Prison Service, including a spell as Director of Prison Service Industries and Farms; Chief Executive of NDPB (the Police Information Technology Organisation) from July 1999 - December 2001 and Director-General, Policy in the Lord Chancellor's Department, responsible for civil, family and administrative justice.

From January 2002 until December 2005 she was Director-General, Energy in the Department of Trade and Industry. In early 2003, MacNaughton oversaw the publication of the Government’s Energy White Paper. Also see Department of Trade and Industry

Government Refuses to Disclose Meetings Between DTI Ministers, Norris and MacNaughton

In the run up to the energy review MacNaughton would have been one of the most influential civial servants on the issue. The Government has refused to release details of meetings between DTI MInisters, MacNaughton and Geoffrey Norris, Blair's special advisor

“The information you requested relating to meetings, during 2005 concerning nuclear power in the UK, between Geoffrey Norris, Tony Blair's special adviser on industry and business, and DTI ministers and/or Joan MacNaughton, including minutes, attendance lists and terms of reference is being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 35(1)(a), (Formulation of Government Policy), of the Freedom of Information Act. In applying this exemption we have had to balance the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information”.

MacNaughton leaves as “too Pro-Nuclear”

The Energy Unit at the DTI is also seen as pro-nuclear. Until late 2005, Joan MacNaughton was its top official. She left “amid rumours she is being shifted for being seen as too pro-nuclear to head the government's energy review”.

Since leaving the Energy Unit, MacNaughton has been the Director General of the International Energy Security section at the DTI.

Quintain Estates

MacNaughton is also a non-executive director of Quintain Estates and Development PLC and Quitain Services Limited, according to records at Companies House. Quitain Estates owns the land around the new National Stadium at Wembley and is involved in a massive regeneration project there. It is also involved in the transformation of the Millenium Dome. Another non-executive director of Quintain Estates and Development is Barbara Thomas Judge, the chair of UKAEA.