Deputy Lieutenants appointment information
Deputy Lieutenants are appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant "subject to the non-disapproval of His Majesty".
The establishment of Deputy Lieutenants varies according to the number of inhabitants in any county. It is the maximum number who may be appointed, though whether so many are appointed is entirely at the discretion of the Lord-Lieutenant.
A person may be appointed a Deputy Lieutenant if he or she possesses the following qualifications:
He / she has a place of residence in the county (or area in Scotland) or within 7 miles thereof, and
He / she is shown to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State to have rendered either:
- worthy service as a member of, or in a civil capacity in connection with, His Majesty's naval, military or air forces
- such other service as, in the Secretary of State's opinion, makes him / her suitable for appointment as a Deputy Lieutenant
The current requirement of the Ministry of Defence is that service (full or part-time) as a member of His Majesty's naval, military or air forces, should, in the absence of other qualifications, be of not less than 6 years.
The Lord Lieutenant is responsible for the selection of persons for appointment as Deputy Lieutenants. Their names are forwarded to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Scotland or Wales, as appropriate, who submits them to His Majesty The King. (The Ministry of Defence advises the relevant Secretary of State on the service record of candidates recommended on the military qualification). The Lord-Lieutenant may grant their commissions, when he is informed by the Secretary of State that His Majesty does not disapprove of the granting of such a commission.
The commission of a Deputy Lieutenant is not terminated when the Lord-Lieutenant who granted the commission ceases to be Lord-Lieutenant. Deputy Lieutenants retire at 75.
A Deputy Lieutenant who retires after approved service over a long period may be given permission to wear the authorised uniform on appropriate occasions and to continue to use the letters DL.