A Fermanagh woman has been named as part of the team set up to review the location of public sector jobs in Northern Ireland.

Joan Ruddock, CBE comes originally from Ballinamallard and has been appointed to the Review of Policy on the Location of Public Sector Jobs.

She holds an impressive cv, with a BA degree from Trinity College, Dublin, a BSc First Class Honours degree at the Open University and a post-graduate degree in Management Studies from the University of Ulster. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

She is currently a Director of a number of organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors. She was Chairman of Belfast City Hospital from 1999 - 2007, was Managing Director of the Educational Company from 1990 to 1999 and, prior to that, was General Manager of the European Special Products Division of the Electronics Company AVX Ltd.

Mrs Ruddock was re-appointed as a member of the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Boundary Commission in December 2006. The appointment will run until 31 December 2008. She was also appointed as an Independent Board Member of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for two years in December 2006.

The Review of Policy on the Location of Public Sector Jobs in Northern Ireland, is chaired by Professor Sir George Bain.

Sir George said the project presented major challenges: "The debate on the location of public sector jobs in Northern Ireland and, in particular, the dispersal of jobs from Belfast, has been around for a very long time and, not surprisingly arouses strongly held opinions wherever the subject is discussed".

He said the Review was a response to a number of representations, including a Report by the Assembly Finance Committee last July which made a range of recommendations about dispersing public sector jobs. It was also a response to an earlier public consultation which called for a proactive approach to the dispersal issue.

"Our terms of reference reflect many of the recommendations contained in the Committee's report – the need for a strategic approach, an affirmative dispersal policy, sustainability, international experience of job dispersal, the Regional Development Strategy and tackling economic disparities. As a result, our focus has to be increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness, promoting economic growth, targeting social need, improving service delivery and the safeguarding of the interests of staff.

"Given that there are potential conflicts between these objectives, the Review will need to adopt a balanced approach if we are to achieve what I consider must be our overriding goal, to recommend the distribution of public sector jobs that best enhances the sustainable economic and social development of Northern Ireland."

His Review team is currently developing a work programme, commissioning research, gathering information and deciding how best to consult with the various interested parties across Northern Ireland.