Department of Finance (Northern Ireland)

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Department of Finance
Department overview
Formed June 1921 (as Ministry of Finance)
Preceding Department
Jurisdiction Northern Ireland
Headquarters Rathgael House, Balloo Road, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 7NA
Employees 3,586 (September 2011)[1]
Annual budget £188.6 million (current) & £18.9 million (capital) for 2011–12[2]
Minister responsible
Website www.dofni.gov.uk

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The Department of Finance (DoF, Irish: An Roinn Airgeadais agus Pearsanra,[3] Ulster Scots: Männystrie o Siller an Fowk Guideship[4] or Depairtment o Finance[5]) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Finance.

The department was previously called the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) before its name change on 9 May 2016.

Aim

DoF's overall aim is to help the Northern Ireland Executive "secure the most appropriate and effective use of resources and services for the benefit of the community".[6]

The incumbent Minister is Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (Sinn Féin).

Responsibilities

The department is responsible for the following policy areas:

Some financial matters are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved: [7]

In addition, some matters are excepted and were not intended for devolution:[8]

  • taxation
  • currency

DoF's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:

In the Irish Government, the main counterparts are:

History

A Ministry of Finance was established on the formation of Northern Ireland in June 1921. A finance ministry also existed in the 1974 Northern Ireland Executive and became known as the Department of Finance and Personnel under direct rule.

Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and the granting of royal assent to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were established by the United Kingdom Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The process was known as devolution and was set up to return devolved legislative powers to Northern Ireland. DFP is therefore one of six direct rule Northern Ireland departments which continued in existence after devolution in December 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

A devolved minister first took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule ministers from the Northern Ireland Office:

Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.

Ministers of Finance

Minister Image Party Took office Left office
    Mark Durkan MarkDurkan.jpg SDLP 2 December 1999 11 February 2000
Office suspended
    Mark Durkan MarkDurkan.jpg SDLP 30 May 2000 14 December 2001[26]
    Seán Farren No image.svg SDLP 14 December 2001 14 October 2002
Office suspended
    Peter Robinson Peter Robinson MLA DUP.jpg DUP 8 May 2007 5 June 2008
    Nigel Dodds NigelDodds.jpg DUP 9 June 2008 1 July 2009
    Sammy Wilson 60px DUP 1 July 2009 29 July 2013
    Simon Hamilton 60px DUP 29 July 2013 11 May 2015
    Arlene Foster 60px DUP 11 May 2015 12 January 2016
    Mervyn Storey Mervyn Storey.jpg DUP 12 January 2016 6 May 2016
    Máirtín Ó Muilleoir 60px Sinn Féin 25 May 2016 Incumbent

Direct rule ministers

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Department of Finance and Personnel – Irish Department of Finance
  4. ↑ Department of Finance and Personnel – Ulster-Scots Department of Finance
  5. ↑ North-South Ministerial Council: 2010 Annual Report in Ulster Scots
  6. ↑ Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 65
  7. ↑ Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
  8. ↑ Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2
  9. ↑ HM Treasury: About us
  10. ↑ Cabinet Office: About the Cabinet Office
  11. ↑ Ministry of Justice: About us
  12. ↑ Communities and Local Government: About us
  13. ↑ Land Registry: Framework document
  14. ↑ Department of Finance: How the Department works
  15. ↑ Department of Justice and Equality: Law Reform
  16. ↑ Department of Justice, Equality and Defence: Property Registration
  17. ↑ Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Standards
  18. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
  19. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
  20. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  21. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  22. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  23. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  24. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
  25. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
  26. ↑ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

External links

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