towns with strong mercantile interests. Reform of local government and sheriffdoms have since resulted in changes. Previous commissioners include Richard Vary Campbell. The current Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, as provided by Schedule 8 to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, are the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland; the lords provost of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, the conveners of the Highland Council and the Argyll and Bute Council; the sheriffs principal of all the sheriffdoms in Scotland; a Manx representative nominated by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man and appointed by the Secretary of State; and up to five co-opted commissioners. Flags The NLB uses two flags, an ensign and a Commissioners' Flag. The ensign is a Blue Ensign defaced with a white lighthouse in the fly, and is for general use. The Commissioners' flag, a plain White Ensign with a pre-1801 Union Flag in the canton, defaced with a blue lighthouse in the fly, is the only British flag still in use which incorporates the pre-1801 Union Flag. This flag is only flown from vessels with Commissioners aboard. The Board HQ flies the Commissioners' flag, alongside the Saltire and the Isle of Man flag. See also List of Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouses — current operational NLB lighthouses List of lighthouses in Scotland — includes lighthouses formerly or never owned by the NLB Commissioners of Irish Lights — responsible for aids to navigation around all of Ireland Trinity House — responsible for aids to navigation around England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar Richard Henry Brunton, the Scottish "father of Japanese lighthouses" Notes References Citations External links Northern Lighthouse Board Lighthouse Library Pharos 1958 1963 Pharos (archive films about the Northern Lighthouse Board ship ‘Pharos VIII’ - from the National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive) Lighthouses in Scotland Lighthouse organizations Water transport in Scotland Transport in the Isle of Man Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Department for Transport 1786 establishments in Scotland Organisations based in Edinburgh