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Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

 

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Secretary of State for Northern Ireland



 
 
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
, at the head of the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office

The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, currently Shaun Woodward MP supported by Paul Goggins MP....
. He or she is only responsible to the Westminster Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislature in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories....
, and not the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
, even when it is sitting.

The role of the Secretary of State is to represent Northern Ireland interests at Westminster. He or she, along with the ministers of the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office

The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, currently Shaun Woodward MP supported by Paul Goggins MP....
 also perform many of the functions which would otherwise be carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
 if it is not in operation.






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The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
, at the head of the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office

The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, currently Shaun Woodward MP supported by Paul Goggins MP....
. He or she is only responsible to the Westminster Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislature in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories....
, and not the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
, even when it is sitting.

The role of the Secretary of State is to represent Northern Ireland interests at Westminster. He or she, along with the ministers of the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office

The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, currently Shaun Woodward MP supported by Paul Goggins MP....
 also perform many of the functions which would otherwise be carried out by the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
 if it is not in operation. Even when the assembly is sitting, the role of the Secretary of State still exists, although his role and that of his ministers is greatly diminished.

Since the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
 has not won any UK parliamentary seats in Northern Ireland since the establishment of the position, and the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Left-wing politics in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently organised again....
 has not stood in any elections there in this period, no Northern Ireland Office minister has ever represented a Northern Ireland constituency.

History

The office was created following the suspension, then abolition, of the home rule
Home rule

Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-governance within the greater administrative purview of the central government....
 Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the Home Rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from 22 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended....
 in 1972, following widespread civil strife. The post of Secretary of State in effect fills two roles which existed under the previous Stormont regime; the nominal head of the Northern Ireland executive, the Governor of Northern Ireland
Governor of Northern Ireland

The Governor of Northern Ireland was the principal officer and representative in Northern Ireland of the British monarch. The office was established on 9 December 1922 and abolished on 18 July 1973....
 (the representative of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
) and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the de facto head of the Government of Northern Ireland. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920....
. The Secretary of State resides in Hillsborough Castle
Hillsborough Castle

Hillsborough Castle is an official government residence in Northern Ireland. It is the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland....
, the previous residence of the Governor the official government residence in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 and exercise their duties through the Northern Ireland Office.

Power was devolved back to Northern Ireland on 1 January 1974 to the Northern Ireland Assembly under Brian Faulkner
Brian Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972....
, but this administration collapsed on 29 May after a widespread strike organised by the loyalist
Ulster loyalism

Ulster loyalism is a militant Unionism in Ireland ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are Working class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims....
 Ulster Workers' Council, who refused to countenance the power-sharing and All-Ireland aspects of the new administration. In 1982 a second Northern Ireland Assembly was established with the hope that it would eventually assume power, but this Assembly was prorogued shortly after the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement

The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland....
.

Under the Belfast Agreement
Belfast Agreement

The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement or the Good Friday Agreement , and occasionally as the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process....
 (also called the Good Friday Agreement), the third Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolution legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly Reserved matters to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive....
 was established. In 1999 the new coalition government was established, consisting of a First Minister and deputy First Minister
First Minister and deputy First Minister

The First Minister and the deputy First Minister , abbreviated to FM/dFM, are positions in the Northern Ireland Executive with overall responsibility for the running of the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland....
 and an inter-party cabinet. This removed many of the duties of the Secretary of State and his Northern Ireland Office colleagues and devolved them to locally-elected politicians.

The devolved administration was suspended several times because the Ulster Unionists were uncomfortable being in government with Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
 when the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army

The Provisional Irish Republican Army , is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that considers itself a direct continuation of the Irish Republican Army that fought in the Irish War of Independence....
 had failed to fully decommission. On each of these occasions, the responsibilities of the ministers in the Executive then returned to the Secretary of State and his ministers. During these periods, in addition to administration of the region, the Secretary was also heavily involved in the negotiations with all parties to restore devolved Government.

Most parties in Northern Ireland agree that decisions are better made by politicians who have to answer to the local electorate rather than so-called fly-away ministers who have always represented constituencies in Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
.

Power was again devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2007 and many of the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary of State are again exercised by the local Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive

The Northern Ireland Executive is the Executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolution legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998....
. The secretary retains responsibility for Policing and Justice.

Secretaries of State (1972- present)

Name Took up post Relinquished Post Political party
William Whitelaw 24 March 1972 2 December 1973 Conservative
Francis Pym
Francis Pym

Francis Leslie Pym, Baron Pym Military Cross, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was a British Conservative Party politician who, during his political career, held several Cabinet of the United Kingdom positions....
 
2 December 1973 4 March 1974 Conservative
Merlyn Rees 5 March 1974 10 September 1976 Labour
Roy Mason
Roy Mason

Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley, Privy Council of the United Kingdom is an United Kingdom Labour Party politician and former Cabinet minister....
 
10 September 1976 4 May 1979 Labour
Humphrey Atkins
Humphrey Atkins

Humphrey Edward Atkins, Baron Colnbrook was a British Conservative Party politician.Atkins was educated at Wellington College , Berkshire and served in the Royal Navy 1940?48....
 
5 May 1979 14 September 1981 Conservative
James Prior 14 September 1981 11 September 1984 Conservative
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd

Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, Order of the Companions of Honour, Order of the British Empire, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council , is a senior United Kingdom Conservative Party politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
 
11 September 1984 3 September 1985 Conservative
Tom King
Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater

Thomas Jeremy King, Baron King of Bridgwater, Order of the Companions of Honour, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , is a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician who was Member of Parliament for Bridgwater in Somerset, from 1970 until 2001....
 
3 September 1985 24 July 1989 Conservative
Peter Brooke
Peter Brooke

Peter Leonard Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, Order of the Companions of Honour, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , is a United Kingdom politician, a former Conservative Party Cabinet of the United Kingdom member, and former Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster ....
 
24 July 1989 10 April 1992 Conservative
Sir Patrick Mayhew 10 April 1992 2 May 1997 Conservative
Mo Mowlam
Mo Mowlam

Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam Doctor of Philosophy was a British politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour Party Member of Parliament....
3 May 1997 11 October 1999 Labour
Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson

Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, Privy Council of the United Kingdom is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, appointed on 3 October 2008....
11 October 1999 24 January 2001* Labour
John Reid
John Reid (politician)

Dr John Reid is a United Kingdom politician who was formerly the Home Secretary and also filled several other cabinet positions, including Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for Health....
25 January 2001 24 October 2002 Labour
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy (politician)

Paul Peter Murphy Privy Council of the United Kingdom is a United Kingdom politician. He is Member of Parliament for Torfaen representing the Labour Party ....
24 October 2002 6 May 2005 Labour
Peter Hain
Peter Hain

Peter Gerald Hain is a United Kingdom Labour Party politician who has served in the Cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Secretary of State for Wales under Brown....
6 May 2005 27 June 2007 Labour
Shaun Woodward
Shaun Woodward

Shaun Anthony Woodward Member of Parliament is a United Kingdom politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour Party Member of Parliament for St Helens South ....
28 June 2007 Labour


* resigned office

See also

  • Great Seal of Northern Ireland
    Great Seal of Northern Ireland

    The Great Seal of Northern Ireland is the Great Seal used for Northern Ireland. The great seal is currently under the possession of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland....
  • Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

    The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for the scrutiny of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and his department, the Northern Ireland Office....
  • Secretary of State
    Secretary of State

    Secretary of State is a commonly used title for a member of government. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government....