Diemazz

Logo of the Northern Ireland Executive

Northern Ireland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland

Government First Minister: Peter Robinson Deputy First Minister: Martin McGuinness Northern Ireland Ministers Northern Ireland Executive Departments Executives: First - Suspended - Second National Assembly Committees List of Acts Statutory Rules Speaker: William Hay Members (MLA): 2007 - 2003 - 1998 Constituencies Elections: 2007 - 2003 - 1998 Other Public Bodies Northern Ireland Policing Board Parades Commission in the UK Her Majesty's Government Secretary of State: Shaun Woodward MP Northern Ireland Office Direct Rule Grand Committee Select Committee UK Parliament Commons Lords Privy Council Constituencies Acts Elections: 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992,        1997, 2001, 2005, 2009/10 in the EU European Parliament European Parliament constituency MEP Elections: 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994,        1999, 2004, 2009 Political parties Designated Unionist Democratic Unionist Party Ulster Unionist Party Progressive Unionist Party Conservatives Traditional Unionist Voice Designated Nationalist Sinn Féin Social Democratic and Labour Party Fianna Fáil Designated Other Alliance Party Green Party Related bodies North/South Ministerial Council British-Irish Council British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference Civic Forum for Northern Ireland Agreements St Andrews Agreement (2006) Belfast Agreement (1998) Segregation in Northern Ireland

Other countries · Atlas  Politics portal view • talk • edit

The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

The executive consists of a First Minister and deputy First Minister (diarchy) and various ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Assembly elects the members of the Executive. It is one of 3 devolved governments in the United Kingdom, the others being the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Ministers

• First Minister and deputy First Minister
  • Junior Ministers
• Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development
• Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure
• Minister for Education
• Minister for Employment and Learning
• Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment
• Minister for the Environment
• Minister for Finance and Personnel
• Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety
• Minister for Regional Development
• Minister for Social Development

Structure

In contrast with Westminster System cabinets, which generally need only be backed by a majority of legislators, ministerial positions in the Northern Ireland Executive are allocated to all of those parties with significant representation in the Assembly. The number of ministries to which each party is entitled is determined by the D'Hondt system. In effect, major parties cannot be excluded from participation in government, and power-sharing is enforced by the system. The Executive can not function if either of the two largest parties refuse to take part, as these parties are allocated the First Minister and deputy First Minister positions. However, other parties are not required to enter the Executive even if they are entitled to do so; instead, they can choose to go into opposition if they wish. There were some calls for the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Ulster Unionist Party to do just this after the 2007 Assembly elections^[1], but ultimately the two parties chose to take the seats in the Executive to which they were entitled.

History

Each of the three elections since the Assembly was created in 1998 has resulted in an Executive or potential Executive consisting of the four largest Northern Irish parties - the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, the Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Ulster Unionist Party - though the number of ministries allotted to each has waxed and waned with their varying electoral fortunes. The Executive first officially took power on December 2, 1999, but has been suspended on various occasions, the last effective from 15 October 2002 until 8 May 2007, as the Ulster Unionist Party, then holding the office of First Minister, walked out after a high-profile Police Service of Northern Ireland investigation into an alleged IRA spy ring. No convictions resulted. While it was suspended, the functions the Executive exercised reverted to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Executive Committee

Main article: List of Northern Ireland Executives

On midnight of 7 May 2007, control of Northern Ireland was transferred from the Northern Ireland Office to the Executive of the currently elected Assembly.^[2] They were appointed by the Assembly on 8 May 2007.^[3]

References

See also

• United Kingdom budget
• List of Northern Ireland Executives
• First Minister and deputy First Minister

External links

• Northern Ireland Executive
• OnlineNI

Site Map: RSS 2.0

Recent Searches: Northern Ireland Executive
Category:Persian names
Iranian reform movement
Type 100 submachine gun
Charterhouse School
File:Palm tree symbol svg
Legal Department
Baseband
11th Airborne Division (United States)
Miles per hour

Related Pages:
"northern ireland housing executive"
"northern ireland assembly"
"deputy first minister"
"northern ireland executive election"