Northern Ireland, Government of. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, which is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the monarch, who reigns but does not govern. The country is actually governed by Cabinet officials called ministers.
Northern Ireland is one of three devolved areas in the United Kingdom—that is, areas controlled by regional governments rather than the central British government. The other two devolved areas are Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has an Assembly of its own that controls many matters previously under the direct control of the British Parliament.
United Kingdom Parliament and Cabinet.
Northern Ireland elects a small number of the 650 members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament. For more information on the United Kingdom’s government, see United Kingdom, Government of the.
In the Cabinet, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland represents Northern Ireland’s interests on matters under the jurisdiction (legal authority) of the British government. The secretary of state’s office is called the Northern Ireland Office. The secretary of state is responsible for constitutional and security issues for Northern Ireland, including police, discrimination issues, and criminal justice policy. The offices of the secretary of state and other ministers are in the Stormont Castle in Belfast.
The Northern Ireland Assembly.
In addition to representation in Parliament, Northern Ireland has its own Assembly in Belfast, housed in the Parliament buildings on the Stormont Estate. Stormont has become a commonly used nickname for the Assembly. The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 members, who are elected to four-year terms. Voters elect Assembly members using a proportional representation system, known as the single transferable vote, which gives a political party a share of the seats in the legislature in proportion to its share of the total vote cast in an election (see Proportional representation).
Special elections can be called before the Assembly’s four-year term is over if two-thirds of the Assembly vote in favor of them, or if a first minister and deputy first minister, who jointly lead the government, cannot be elected.
The Assembly attempts to balance the interests of the two major religious and political groups in Northern Ireland. About half of the people in Northern Ireland are Protestants who have traditional ties to the rest of the United Kingdom. They generally support the Unionist parties, which wish to maintain the union of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Nearly all of the rest of Northern Ireland’s people are Roman Catholics, as are most of the people in the Republic of Ireland. The Catholics generally support the Nationalist political parties, which want Northern Ireland to be unified with the Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland’s political and religious divisions are reflected in its Assembly. Most acts of the Assembly are passed by a simple majority. However, the Assembly must pass key decisions, such as budget allocations, with support from both Unionists and Nationalists. Measures requiring this cross-community support can pass in one of two ways. They can pass with the support of a majority of both registered Nationalists and registered Unionists in the Assembly. Alternately, the bills can pass with the support of 60 percent of the Assembly, including the support of 40 percent of registered Nationalists and 40 percent of registered Unionists.
The Northern Ireland Assembly began meeting in 1999. However, political conflicts within Northern Ireland have resulted in several suspensions of the Assembly. Such suspensions have occurred in 2000, from 2002 to 2007, from 2017 to 2020, and from 2022 to 2024. During these suspensions, the British government has temporarily taken over certain functions of the Assembly.
Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee of the Northern Ireland government consists of a first minister, deputy first minister, and 10 ministers who oversee the government’s departments. Members of the Assembly elect the first minister and the deputy first minister, who lead the Northern Ireland government. The first minister and deputy first minister have identical powers and functions, just different titles. They are elected jointly, and require a majority of votes in the Assembly, as well as a majority of registered Unionists and Nationalists, to be elected.
The appointment of the 10 departmental ministers, and their portfolios (areas of responsibilities), are decided on the basis of the d’Hondt system. The d’Hondt system distributes ministerial positions to Northern Ireland’s political parties on the basis of the number of seats they hold in the Assembly. The party with the highest number of seats in the Assembly is given first choice in selecting ministerial portfolios. Each minister’s area of responsibility has a committee in the Assembly that monitors the minister’s work. Positions on Assembly committees are also given out according to the d’Hondt system. The system was named for Victor d’Hondt, a Belgian mathematician of the 1800’s who devised the formula.
Devolution.
Although the British Parliament retains its right to make laws for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly now passes legislation on many issues. These are called transferred issues. Transferred issues include matters previously controlled by the six Northern Ireland departments in the British government: agriculture; economic development; education; the environment; finance and personnel; and health and social services.
Excepted issues
are those issues still controlled by the British Parliament. These include international relations and relations with the European Union; defense; human rights protection; taxes or duties applying to the United Kingdom as a whole; and national insurance.
Reserved matters
are issues that may be transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the future, but which are now subject to parliamentary control. These include the specific privileges and powers of the Assembly, policing, merchant shipping, postal regulations, criminal law proceedings, and banking.
Councils.
Northern Ireland participates in two political bodies that coordinate policies with Ireland and the United Kingdom. These groups began meeting in 1999.
The North-South Ministerial Council coordinates policies between Northern Ireland and Ireland on issues of cross-border concern, such as trade and waterways. It includes representatives from the governments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Both governments must approve the council’s decisions. See North-South Ministerial Council.
The British-Irish Council, also called the Council of the Isles, addresses issues of concern to all of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The council consists of representatives from the parliaments of both countries; the assemblies of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales; and the governments of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, two British dependencies. The council helps the regions’ governments cooperate on a range of issues, including transportation, agriculture, and public health. See British-Irish Council.
Local government.
Northern Ireland is divided into 11 districts. An elected council governs each district. Council members serve four-year terms. The district councils are responsible for such services as recreation, environmental protection, and garbage collection.
