Sir William Robert McKay, KCB, (born 18 April 1939), is a British administrator. He was

Clerk of the House of Commons The Clerk of the House of Commons is the chief executive of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and before 1707 of the House of Commons of England. The formal name for the position held by the Clerk of the House of Comm ...

between 1998 and 2002, and was appointed in 2012 to chair the

Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons The Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons, also known as the McKay Commission, was an independent commission established in the United Kingdom to consider issues arising from devolution in the United Kingdom and t ...

, which reported the following year.

Biography

After graduating from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, he entered the Clerks Department of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in 1961, rising to become Clerk of the House in 1998.''Hansard'', HC Deb 11 December 2002 vol 396 cc289-98
Retrieved 25 March 2013 Following his retirement in 2002, he took up a position as professor in the School of Law at

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

, and served on various bodies dealing with legal and constitutional matters, including the Legal Questions Committee of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

, and as an observer on the

Law Society of Scotland The Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors. It promotes excellence among solicitors through the support and regulation of its members. It also promotes the interests of the public in relation to the ...

’s ruling council.The McKay Commission: Commissioners
Retrieved 25 March 2013 In 2012 he was appointed to chair the

, which reported on 25 March 2013.BBC News, ''England-only laws 'need majority from English MPs' '', 25 March 2013
Retrieved 25 March 2013 He is married to a

Minister and has two daughters and four grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, William 1939 births Living people Clerks of the House of Commons Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath