Rita Donaghy has been appointed interim chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life with immediate effect.
She takes over from Sir Alistair Graham whose three-year term came to an end on 25 April.
The committee is a non-departmental public body set up to examine concerns about the standards of conduct of all holders of public office.
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Donaghy, who is the current chair of conciliation service Acas, has been appointed to 31 December 2007. She has agreed to step down should a permanent chair be recruited in the coming months.
She has been a member of the committee since March 2001 and is also an ex-president of the TUC.
