Sir Kenneth Bloomfield dies aged 94

The former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, has died aged 94.

Sir Kenneth is one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's history.

He previously served as Northern Ireland's national governor of the BBC and was the inaugural victims' commissioner, as well as holding a number of other public and private sector roles.

In 1988, the IRA tried to kill Sir Kenneth at his family home in Crawfordsburn, near Bangor, County Down, in a Semtex bomb attack.

A member of Sir Kenneth's family said he was a "much loved husband and father, and will be greatly missed".

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Sir Kenneth "gave many years of service to Northern Ireland and did so with thoughtfulness and dedication".

"His calm approach, even when targeted by the IRA, earned respect across the board, and his contribution to public life will not be forgotten," he added.

Writing on X, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt praised his "great intellect" and described him as "one of our finest" public servants.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said Sir Kenneth had a "distinguished career in public service" and that in his retirement "he continued that commitment".

"I know that he kept in touch with political developments and was especially supportive of efforts to ensure the devolved administration was put on a firm and stable footing," the Alliance Party leader added.

The Lord Lieutenant for Belfast, Dame Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle, said: "Ken brought dignity, gravitas and humanity to public life."

Posting on X, the US Consulate in Belfast said Sir Kenneth was a "distinguished public servant who dedicated his life to others, including those injured and bereaved during NI's troubled past".

The Open University's director in Ireland said that Sir Kenneth was a regular attendee at the university's Belfast and Dublin degree ceremonies, "celebrating our students".

John D'Arcy said he was sorry to hear of his death and sent condolences to his wife and family.

Sir Nigel Hamilton, a former head of the Civil Service in Northern Ireland, told BBC News NI: "I will remember him as the most important, and the pre-eminent public servant of his time and of his generation.

"From the 1960s up to 1991, he was a leader, he was the public servant extraordinaire."

After Sir Kenneth stepped down from the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1991, he took on a wide range of public and private sector roles.

These included the national governor of the BBC in Northern Ireland; vice-chair of the National Museum and Galleries; senator at Queen's University Belfast; victims' commissioner; and co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.

He also worked outside of Northern Ireland, consulting on issues in Jersey, Israel, Austria, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

He received honorary doctorates from Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University and a knighthood in the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours.