| Northern Ireland Executive | |
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| Irish:Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann Scots:Norlin Airlan Executive | |
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| Overview | |
| Established | 2 December 1999; 25 years ago (current form) |
| State | Northern Ireland |
| Leader | First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Michelle O'Neill andEmma Little-Pengelly) |
| Appointed by | Northern Ireland Assembly[a] |
| Ministries | 9[1] (list) |
| Responsible to | Northern Ireland Assembly |
| Annual budget | £14.2 billion (2023)[2] |
| Headquarters | Stormont Castle,Stormont Estate,Belfast |
| Website | www |
| This article is part ofa series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
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Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland |
TheNorthern Ireland Executive (Irish:Feidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann,[3]Ulster Scots:Norlin Airlan Executive[4]) is thedevolved government ofNorthern Ireland, an administrative branch of thelegislature – theNorthern Ireland Assembly, situated inBelfast. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the terms of theNorthern Ireland Act 1998, which followed theGood Friday Agreement (or Belfast Agreement). Theexecutive is referred to in the legislation as theExecutive Committee of the assembly and is an example ofconsociationalist ("power-sharing") government.
The Northern Ireland Executive consists of thefirst minister and deputy first minister and various ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The main assembly parties appoint most ministers in the executive, except for theMinister of Justice who is elected by across-community vote. It is one of three devolved governments in theUnited Kingdom, the others being theScottish andWelsh governments.
In January 2017,Sinn Féin Deputy First MinisterMartin McGuinness resigned in protest over theRenewable Heat Incentive scandal and the Northern Ireland Executive consequently collapsed.[5] The governing of Northern Ireland fell to thecivil service in acaretaker capacity until January 2020, when the parties signed theNew Decade, New Approach agreement and an Executive was subsequently established.[6] WhenDemocratic Unionist Party First MinisterPaul Givan resigned in line with his party's protest over theNorthern Ireland Protocol, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed again.[7] No agreement on power-sharing was made after the2022 Assembly election, and from October 2022 to February 2024, Northern Ireland was again governed by the civil service.[8] On 3 February 2024,Sinn Féin'sMichelle O'Neill was appointed First Minister, the first Irish nationalist to be appointed to the position,[9] withDUP'sEmma Little-Pengelly as Deputy First Minister.[10]
The Executive (and the Assembly) were established in law by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 that followed the Good Friday Agreement and its basis was revised by theNorthern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006 that followed theSt Andrews Agreement of that year.
On 9 May 2016,[11] the number of ministries and departments of the Northern Ireland Executive was reduced, leaving the following departments:[12]
At the same time, various departments were renamed as follows:
The following departments were dissolved:
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In contrast withWestminster system cabinets, which generally need only be backed by amajority of legislators, ministerial positions in the Northern Ireland Executive are allocated to parties with significant representation in the Assembly. With the exception of justice, the number of ministries to which each party is entitled is determined by theD'Hondt system.
In effect, major parties cannot be excluded from participation in government and power-sharing is enforced by the system. The form of government is therefore known asmandatory coalition as opposed tovoluntary coalition where parties negotiate an agreement to share power. TheDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP), theUlster Unionist Party (UUP), theAlliance Party of Northern Ireland and someSocial Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) members favour a move towards voluntary coalition in the longer term but this is currently[when?] opposed bySinn Féin.[citation needed]
The executive cannot 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 intoopposition if they wish. There were some calls for the SDLP and the UUP to enter opposition after the2007 Assembly elections,[13] but ultimately the two parties chose to take the seats in the Executive to which they were entitled.
In 2010, an exception to the D'Hondt system for allocating the number of ministerial portfolios was made under theHillsborough Castle Agreement to allow the cross-communityAlliance Party of Northern Ireland to hold the politically contentious policing and justice brief when most of those powers were devolved to the Assembly. Devolution took place on 12 April 2010.
Under D'Hondt, the SDLP would have been entitled to the extra ministerial seat on the revised Executive created by the devolution of policing and justice. Accordingly, both the UUP and SDLP protested that Alliance was not entitled, under the rules of theGood Friday Agreement, to fill the portfolio and refused to support this move. However, Alliance leaderDavid Ford was elected Minister with the support of the DUP and Sinn Féin.
On 26 August 2015, the UUP announced it would withdraw from the Executive and form an opposition after all, in response to the assassination ofKevin McGuigan.
On 25 May 2016 a new executive was announced (three weeks after assembly election). For the first time in the assembly's history, parties that were entitled to ministries (i.e. UUP, SDLP and Alliance) chose instead to go into opposition following a recent bill providing parties with this choice. This meant that the executive was formed only by the two major parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, and thus giving them more seats in the Executive (with the exception of the Department of Justice which was given to anIndependent Unionist MLA,Claire Sugden, due to this appointment needing cross-community support).[14]
The Executive is co-chaired by the first minister and deputy first minister. Its official functions are:
Executive meetings are normally held fortnightly, compared to weekly meetings of theBritish Cabinet andIrish Government. Under the Executive's Ministerial Code, ministers are obliged to:[16]
The Ministerial Code allows any three ministers to request a cross-community vote. The quorum for voting is seven ministers.
The current system of devolution has succeeded long periods of direct rule (1974–1999 and 2002–2007), when theNorthern Ireland Civil Service had a considerable influence on government policy. The legislation which established new departments in 1999 affirmed that "the functions of a department shall at all times be exercised subject to the direction and control of the Minister".[17] Ministerial powers can be conferred by an Act of the Assembly[18] and ministers can also exercise executive powers which are vested in theCrown.[19]
Ministers are also subject to several limitations, including theEuropean Convention on Human Rights,European Union law, other international obligations of the UK,[20] a requirement not to discriminate on religious or political grounds,[21] and having no power overreserved and excepted matters (which are held by theUnited Kingdom Government).[22]
Ministerial decisions can be challenged by a petition of 30Northern Ireland Assembly members. This action can be taken for alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code and on "matters of public importance". The Speaker of the Assembly must consult political party leaders in the Assembly (who are often also ministers) before deciding whether the subject is a matter of public importance. Successful petitions will then be considered by the Executive.[23]
The number of ministers and their responsibilities can be changed when a department is being established or dissolved. The proposal must be made by the First Minister and the deputy First Minister and be carried by a cross-community vote in the Assembly. The number of departments was initially limited to 10 but this increased to 11 upon the devolution of justice.[24]
Ministers are disqualified from holding office if appointed to theGovernment of Ireland or as the chairman or deputy chairman of anOireachtas (Irish Parliament) committee.[25]
TheGood Friday Agreement states that the Executive will "seek to agree each year, and review as necessary" a Programme for Government incorporating an agreed budget.[15]
The following programmes for government have been published to date:
The following budgets have been published to date:
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Under theSt Andrews Agreement, the Executive is obliged to adopt strategies on the following policy matters:
The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister published a child poverty strategy in March 2011.[28] The wider anti-poverty strategy was carried over from direct rule in November 2006.[29] As of November 2011, neither an Irish language strategy nor an Ulster Scots strategy had been adopted. TheDepartment of Culture, Arts and Leisure states that aStrategy for Indigenous or Regional Minority Languages "will be presented to the Executive in due course".[30]
The originalNorthern Ireland Executive was established on 1 January 1974, following theSunningdale Agreement. It comprised a voluntary coalition between theUlster Unionist Party,Social Democratic and Labour Party andAlliance Party of Northern Ireland, with the UUP's Brian Faulkner in the position of Chief Executive. It was short-lived, collapsing on 28 May 1974 due to theUlster Workers' Council strike, andthe Troubles continued in the absence of a political settlement.
| Historical composition of the Northern Ireland Executive | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive (Assembly) | Date | Event | Mandatory coalition: Executive Office | Cross-community appointment:Justice | D'Hondt method allocation | Vacant | Total Ministerial Offices | ||||||||
| FM | dFM | ||||||||||||||
| UUP (U) | SDLP (N) | DUP (U) | SF (N) | APNI (O) | |||||||||||
| 1st E. (1st A.) | 1 July 1998 | formation | UUP | SDLP | - | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||
| 14 October 2002 | dissolution | Vacant | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||
| 2nd E. (3rd A.) | 8 May 2007 | formation | DUP | SF | - | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||
| 12 April 2010 | devolution | DUP | SF | Alliance | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| 24 March 2011 | dissolution | Vacant | 11 | 11 | |||||||||||
| 3rd E. (4th A.) | 16 May 2011 | formation | DUP | SF | Alliance | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |||
| 1 September 2015 | resignation | DUP | SF | Alliance | R | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||
| 20 October 2015 | reallocation | DUP | SF | Alliance | R | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| 16 May 2016 | dissolution | Vacant | 11 | 11 | |||||||||||
| 4th E. (5th A.) | 26 May 2016 | formation | DUP | SF | Ind. (U) | R | R | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 16 January 2017 | dissolution | Vacant | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 5th E. (6th A.) | 11 Jan 2020 | formation | DUP | SF | Alliance | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 5th E. C (6th A.) | 3 February 2022 | collapse | Vacant | Alliance | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| 28 March 2022 | dissolution[31] | Vacant | Alliance | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| 5th E. C (7th A.) | 16 May 2022 | reallocation | Vacant | Alliance | 1 | R | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| 27 October 2022 | expiry | Vacant | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 6th E. (7th A.) | 3 Feb 2024 | formation | SF | DUP | Alliance | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |||
| C = Caretaker ministers under theNew Decade, New Approach agreement; FM, dFM = First and deputy First Minister, each assisted by ajunior minister from their respective parties; R = resigned or refused posts entitled to under the D'Hondt method. | |||||||||||||||
The current Executive was provided for in theBelfast Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998. Designates forFirst Minister and deputy First Minister were appointed on 1 July 1998 by the UUP and SDLP, respectively.[32] A full Executive was nominated on 29 November 1999 and took office on 2 December 1999, comprising the UUP, SDLP,Democratic Unionist Party andSinn Féin.[33]Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the departments came under the responsibility ofdirect rule ministers from theNorthern Ireland Office:
The 2002–2007 suspension followed the refusal of theUlster Unionist Party to share power withSinn Féin after a high-profilePolice Service of Northern Ireland investigation into an allegedProvisional Irish Republican Army spy ring.[42]
The second Executive formed in 2007 was led by the DUP and Sinn Féin, with the UUP and SDLP also securing ministerial roles.[43]
However, the Executive did not meet between 19 June 2008 and 20 November 2008 due to a boycott bySinn Féin. This took place during a dispute between the DUP and Sinn Féin over the devolution of policing and justice powers.[44] Policing and justice powers were devolved on 12 April 2010, with the newMinister of Justice won byAlliance in a cross-community vote.[45]
Following theNorthern Ireland Assembly election held on 5 May 2011, a third Executive was formed on 16 May 2011 with the same five parties represented. Alliance for the first time gained administration of a department under the D'Hondt system, in addition to the Department of Justice.
Peter Robinson of theDUP andMartin McGuinness ofSinn Féin were nominated by their parties and appointed asFirst Minister and deputy First Minister on 12 May 2011.Traditional Unionist Voice leaderJim Allister opposed the joint appointment.[46] On 16 May 2011, 10 other Executive ministers (with the exception of the Minister of Justice) and two junior ministers were appointed by their political parties. The Minister of Justice was then elected by the Assembly via a cross-community vote.[47]
On 26 August 2015, the UUP withdrew from the Executive in protest over the alleged involvement of members of the Provisional IRA in the murder of Kevin McGuigan Sr.[48] Danny Kennedy MLA's position as Minister for Regional Development was later taken over by the DUP, thereby leaving four Northern Irish parties in the power sharing agreement. On 10 September 2015 Peter Robinson stepped down as First Minister, although he did not officially resign. Arlene Foster took over as acting First Minister.[49] Robinson resumed his duties as First Minister again on 20 October 2015.[50]
Following the signing of theFresh Start Agreement, Peter Robinson announced his intention to stand down as leader of the DUP and First Minister of Northern Ireland. He subsequently resigned as DUP leader on 18 December 2015, being succeeded byArlene Foster. Foster then took office as First Minister on 11 January 2016.[51]
The fourth Executive was formed following theMay 2016 election. TheSDLP,UUP andAlliance Party left the Executive and formed the Official Opposition for the first time. Ministerial positions were proportionally allocated between the DUP and Sinn Féin, with independent unionistClaire Sugden serving as Minister of Justice. The government collapsed on 16 January 2017, afterMartin McGuinness resigned in protest over theRenewable Heat Incentive scandal. His resignation sparked asnap election as Sinn Féin refused to re-nominate a Deputy First Minister.
In 2018, Arlene Foster stated that the ongoing political deadlock was caused by Sinn Féin's insistence on anIrish Language Act that would grant legal status to theIrish language in Northern Ireland, which Foster's party refuses to allow.[52]
 | |
| Long title | An Act to rename the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Department for Regional Development and the Department for Social Development; to dissolve the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the Department of the Environment and the Department for Employment and Learning; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Introduced by |
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| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 29 February 2016 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through the Assembly | |
| Text of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, fromlegislation.gov.uk. | |
TheDepartments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 is an act of the Northern Ireland Assembly which reorganised the functions of the departments of the Northern Ireland Executive.
The legislative basis for departments of the Northern Ireland Executive is set out in section 17 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.[53]
In 2007, the St Andrews Agreement contained a commitment to review if functions could be transferred from the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister to other departments, but this was not substantively acted upon.[53] The reduction of the number of departments was first suggested in 2009.[54]
In 2012,Stephen Farry as Minister of Employment and Learning suggested that proposals to abolish his department were driven by the fact that he was anAlliance Party minister.[55]Sammy Wilson, as Finance Minister, suggested that the number of departments could be reduced from 11 to 6, and this would save "tens of millions of pounds" per year.[56]
In 2014, theStormont House Agreement included a proposal for the number of departments to be reduced from 11 to 9.[57]
In March 2015 Peter Robinson announced new arrangements for new departments.[58]
In November 2015, legislation was introduced to the assembly to reduce the number of ministers from 12 to 9 and to reduce the number of ministers from 11 to 9.[53] In order to have the new structure in place before the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election, it was proceeded via an accelerated passage.[53]
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2019 was passed by the UK parliament on 10 July 2019[59] and became law on 24 July.[60] The main purpose of the bill was to prevent another election and keep Northern Ireland services running in the absence of a functional devolved government. However, two Labour MPs,Conor McGinn andStella Creasy, added amendments that would legalize same-sex marriage and liberalize abortion law (both devolved issues) if the DUP and Sinn Féin could not come to an agreement before 21 October.[59]
| |
| Long title | An Act to make provision concerning the decisions which may be made by Ministers without recourse to the Executive Committee. |
|---|---|
| Introduced by |
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| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 August 2020 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through the Assembly | |
| Text of the Executive Committee (Functions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2020 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, fromlegislation.gov.uk. | |
TheExecutive Committee (Functions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2020 (c. 4 (N.I.)) gives executive ministers more autonomy in making decisions.[61]
While the legislation was supported by the Democratic Unionist Party, several DUP backbenchers abstained on the bill at second stage.[62] Two other DUP backbenchers did not attend the second stage debate on the bill.[63] The bill was "fast-tracked" through the assembly.[64] The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Doug Beattie, raised concerns that the legislation would lead to a more "combative" executive.[62]
The legislation clarifies the powers of the Infrastructure Minister.[65]
The legislation was described by Richard Bullick, a former DUP adviser, as "sleepwalking" into constitutional change.[66] Executive ministers supported the legislation, because a 2018 court decision relating to a incinerator at Mallusk meant that every major planning decision would require going to the executive.[66]
| Functioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to amend sections 7 and 8 of the Civil Service (Special Advisers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, repeal the Civil Service Commissioners (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order in Council 2007, repeal the Civil Service Commissioners (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2016, amend sections 17 and 27 of the Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and to make additional provision for the functioning of government in Northern Ireland and connected purposes. |
| Citation | 2021 c. 3 (N.I.) |
| Introduced by | Jim Allister MLA |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 March 2021 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through the Assembly | |
TheFunctioning of Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 (c. 3 (N.I.)) is an act of the Northern Ireland Assembly which:[67]
On 11 January 2020, the Executive was re-formed withArlene Foster as First Minister and Sinn Féin'sMichelle O'Neill as Deputy First Minister following theNew Decade, New Approach agreement. All five parties joined the government; other ministers includeEdwin Poots (DUP);Robin Swann (UUP),Nichola Mallon (SDLP),Gordon Lyons (DUP), andDeclan Kearney (SF). Alliance Party leaderNaomi Long was appointed justice minister. At the first session of the assembly, Foster stated that it was "time for Stormont to move forward". The new speaker of the Assembly was a member of Sinn Féin.[68] The collapse of this Executive led to the2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election.
On 3 February 2022,Paul Givan resigned as First Minister, which automatically resignedMichelle O'Neill as deputy first minister and collapsed the executive of Northern Ireland.[69]
On 30 January 2024, leader of the DUPJeffrey Donaldson announced that the DUP would restore an executive government on the condition that new legislation was passed by the UK House of Commons.[70]
On 8 May 2024,Conor Murphy stepped down asMinister for the Economy. First MinisterMichelle O'Neill said thatDeirdre Hargey will serve as an interimMinister for the Economy.[5]
On 3 February 2025, Sinn Fein announced a reshuffle of their ministerial posts as a result of Conor Murphy's election to theSeanad Éireann, withJohn O'Dowd becoming Minister of Finance,Caoimhe Archibald serving as Minister for the Economy andLiz Kimmins becoming the Minister for Infrastructure.
Ministers are assisted by backbench "Assembly private secretaries" (equivalent toparliamentary private secretaries). The non-politicalAttorney General for Northern Ireland is the chief legal advisor to the Executive, appointed by the first minister and deputy first minister, and may also attend Executive meetings.
The total amount available for NI Executive spending is £14.2 billion; The consequences of addressing the £660million gap in the 2022-23 financial year has meant that £297 million provided from the UK Reserve was due to be repaid from the 2023-24 budget.
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