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Logo of the Northern Ireland Executive

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, Deputy First Minister 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.

Northern Ireland
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Assembly List of Acts Members: 1998 - 2003 - 2007 Elections: 1998 - 2003 - 2007 Speaker Northern Ireland Executive First Minister: Ian Paisley Deputy First Minister: Martin McGuinness Departments and agencies Local Government Courts of Northern Ireland
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Parliament Committees: Affairs - Grand Members: Commons - Lords Elections: 2005 United Kingdom Government Northern Ireland Office Secretary of State • Direct Rule
Organisations
British-Irish Council Electoral Commission North/South Ministerial Council
See also
Belfast Agreement (1998) St Andrews Agreement (2006) Segregation in Northern Ireland Elections in Northern Ireland Constituencies Political parties
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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.

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.

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]

• United Kingdom budget
• List of Northern Ireland Executives
• Sunningdale Agreement - A similar executive existed briefly in the 1970s

• Northern Ireland Executive - Official Website
• Online NI - Info about NI Government

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