Northern Ireland Executive
|
|
 This article is part of the series Politics of the United Kingdom |
|
The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It consists of a First Minister who heads it and various ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Assembly elects the First Minister and Executive.
The Executive officially took power on December 2, 1999, but was suspended on various occasions, the last effective from October 15, 2002, as Unionists refused to share power with Sinn Féin whose offices at Stormont had just been raided by Police investigating terrorist activity by members of their support staff. While it is suspended, the functions it exercised have reverted to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The seats were allocated in a power-sharing formula and were proportional to the number of members in the Assembly. In effect the Executive is a coalition between the four major parties including, the Ulster Unionist Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party. The Assembley uses the D'Hondt method for allocating the ministerial positions in the Executive.
Northern Ireland Executive 1998-2002
First Minister of Northern Ireland
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | David Trimble | July 1, 1998 | July 1, 2001 | Ulster Unionist Party |
| 2. | Reg Empey (acting) | July 1, 2001 | November 1, 2001 | Ulster Unionist Party |
| David Trimble | November 1, 2001 | October 14, 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party |
Deputy-First Minister of Northern Ireland
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Seamus Mallon | July 1, 1998 | November 6, 2001 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| 2. | Mark Durkan | November 6, 2001 | October 14, 2002 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Investment
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Reg Empey | November 29, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party |
Minister for Finance & Personnel
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mark Durkan | November 29, 1999 | December 14, 2001 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| 2. | Seán Farren | December 14, 2001 | October 14, 2002 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
Minister for Regional Development
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Peter Robinson | November 29, 1999 | November 24, 2000 | Democratic Unionist Party |
| 2. | Gregory Cambell | July 27, 2001 | November 24, 2000 | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Peter Robinson | November 24, 2000 | October 11, 2002 | Democratic Unionist Party |
Minister for Education
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Martin McGuinness | November 29, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | Sinn Féin |
Minister for the Environment
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sam Foster | November 29, 1999 | February 20, 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party |
| 2. | Dermot Nesbitt | February 20, 2002 | October 14, 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party |
Minister for Employment & Learning
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | *Seán Farren | November 29, 1999 | December 14, 2001 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
| 2. | Carmel Hanna | December 14, 2001 | October 14, 2002 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
- The position was originally called Minister for Further and Higher Education, Training and Development.
Minister for Social Development
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nigel Dodds | November 29, 1999 | November 24, 2000 | Democratic Unionist Party |
| 2. | Maurice Morrow | July 27, 2001 | November 24, 2000 | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Nigel Dodds | November 24, 2000 | October 11, 2002 | Democratic Unionist Party |
Minister for Culture, Arts & Leisure
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Michael McGimpsey | November 29, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | Ulster Unionist Party |
Minister for Health, Social Services & Public Safety
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bairbre de Brún | November 29, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | Sinn Féin |
Minister for Agriculture & Rural Development
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bríd Rogers | November 29, 1999 | October 14, 2002 | Social Democratic and Labour Party |
External Links
- NI Executive's Official Website (http://www.northernireland.gov.uk)