William Reid

Who is William Reid?

Sir William Kennedy Reid KCB is a retired civil servant who was Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England, Scotland and Wales between 1990 and 1996.

Reid was born in Aberdeen in 1931 and was educated at Robert Gordon's College. He studied at Edinburgh University and Trinity College, Cambridge where he achieved first-class honours in Classics.

Between 1952 and 1954, Reid did national service in the British Army before joining the Ministry of Education in 1956. He moved to the Cabinet Office in 1964 and served as Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Burke Trend. During this time, Reid played a modest role in helping to develop the Office of Parliamentary Ombudsman. In 1967, he became secretary of the Council for Scientific Policy before moving to the Department of Education and Science, becoming Under Secretary in 1974 and then Accountant-General in 1976. Reid moved to the Scottish Office in 1978 as Deputy Secretary of Central Services and then Secretary of the Scottish Home and Health Department between 1984 and 1990. He was also Chairman of Governors of the Scottish Police College between 1984 and 1990.