Kevin Harry Dunion (born 20 December 1955) is the Convener of the

Standards Commission for Scotland Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

and was the first Scottish Information Commissioner 2003−2012. He is an Honorary Professor in the University of Dundee School of Law and a member of the

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) is a non-departmental public body responsible dealing with unresolved complaints against Lawyer, legal practitioners operating in Scotland. It was established under the Legal Profession and Lega ...

. He was formerly Rector of the University of St Andrews 2008−11.

Early life

Dunion was born in

Bridge of Allan Bridge of Allan (, ), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a former spa town in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on th ...

. His father Harry became a college lecturer and the family moved to

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; , possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where some say it ceases to ...

and then Glenrothes. He attended St Andrew's High School in Kirkcaldy. He was educated at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

(MA (Hons) Modern History 1978) and at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

(MSc (Dist) African Studies 1991).

Career

Dunion spent periods in the civil service and university administration. He was Editor of the pro-devolution magazine ''Radical Scotland''. He joined

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

as Campaigns Manager and then took up the post of Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland. From 1996 to 2000 he also served as Chairman of Friends of the Earth International, heading delegations to the

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and

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

. Dunion was for many years a notable proponent for freedom of information, and gave evidence to the Justice Committee scrutinising the passage of the Bill through the Scottish Parliament. He wrote the book ''Troublemakers – The Struggle For Environmental Justice In Scotland''.

Information Commissioner

Dunion was appointed as the first Scottish Information Commissioner in February 2003. He was reappointed in 2008. Towards the end of his second term he proposed extra powers that he thought that the next Commissioner would need. He left office on 23 February 2012 after two terms - a total of nine years in office, during which time he handled some 1,500 cases.

Academic bodies and other roles

He was elected Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews in October 2008. He was installed on 3 March 2009. His term ran until 2011. In 2012 Dunion was appointed Honorary Professor in the University of Dundee School of Law. He is executive director of their Freedom of Information Centre. In 2012 he was appointed by the President of the World Bank as a member of the bank's Access to Information Appeals Board. In April 2013 he was appointed as a non-lawyer member of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.

Standards Commission

He became a member of the Standards Commission for Scotland on 1 September 2015. In November 2016 it was announced that he would become the Convener of the Commission, taking up the position on 1 February 2017.

Awards and honours

In 2000 he was awarded an OBE for his work with Friends of the Earth. In 2011 he was awarded an honorary degree, LLD, by the University of St Andrews.

Personal life

Dunion is married to Linda Malloch, who was formerly married to

Iain Gray Iain Cumming Gray (born 7 June 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2008 to 2011. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the East Lothian constituency from 2007 to 2021, having p ...

, the former leader of the Labour Group in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

References

External links

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of website of the Rector of the University of St Andrews
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at Dundee Law School {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunion, Kevin 1955 births Living people Scottish magazine editors Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scottish chief executives 21st-century Scottish civil servants Rectors of the University of St Andrews People from Bridge of Allan Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Edinburgh