90-640: Lowercase "d" per here . King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The Northern Ireland Civil Service ( NICS ; Irish : Státseirbhís Thuaisceart Éireann ; Ulster-Scots : Norlin Airlann Cïvil Sarvice )
180-783: A Permanent Secretary , or the Head of the Civil Service in the case of the Executive Office. The Permanent Secretaries Group meets monthly and effectively the highest level of government in Northern Ireland in the absence of the Executive. The interim Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service has been vacant since August 2020, but Jenny Pyper has been temporary appointed as interim Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service for
270-495: A general strike would begin the following day in response. The date had been agreed by the UWC some time in advance as they wanted it to coincide with the vote, which they had expected to end in defeat for the hard-line unionist motion. The strike had a slow start with many workers simply going to work anyway, but after a number of workplace meetings, workers began leaving their workplaces after lunchtime. Murray would later admit that
360-399: A Ministry of Commerce permit. In response to this development the UWC announced that it would no longer oversee the 'essential services' and declared that the army could now look after even the most basic of provisions. They further announced that at midnight Ballylumford power station would be closed down with its workers joining the strike. The energy crisis deepened when a pressure drop in
450-453: A broadcast on television. He condemned the strike as "a deliberate and calculated attempt to use every undemocratic and unparliamentary means for the purpose of bringing down the whole constitution of Northern Ireland so as to set up there a sectarian and undemocratic state". Wilson controversially referred to the strikers and the strike's leaders as "spongers". The speech was interpreted by many Northern Irish Protestants as an attack on them as
540-622: A capital 'D'). This was also adopted in 1999 for the logo of the OFMDFM. Several weeks after Martin McGuinness took up office as Deputy First Minister in 2007, civil servants in his department began asking the Assembly's Hansard team to replace the capital 'D' with a lower-case 'd', pointing out that the title was rendered that way in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 , the legislation which established
630-656: A letter "... voicing no confidence in her leadership", Foster resigned as party leader on 28 May 2021, and as First Minister in June 2021. Her successor as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , Edwin Poots , said he would not become the First Minister. Instead, DUP MLA Paul Givan was nominated for First Minister by Poots. Despite concerns by Sinn Féin that an Irish Language Act would not pass, following talks with
720-401: A letter from the Democratic Unionist Party chairman and other senior party members, DUP leader Edwin Poots nominated Paul Givan as First Minister and Sinn Féin re-nominated Michelle O'Neill as Deputy First Minister. On 4 February 2022, Givan resigned as First Minister, which led to O'Neill automatically ceasing to hold office as Deputy First Minister. The offices remained vacant until
810-510: A million British citizens, the Protestants of Northern Ireland, staged what amounted to a rebellion against the Crown and won... During those fifteen days, for the first time in over fifty years... a section of the realm became totally ungovernable. A self-elected provisional government of Protestant power workers, well-armed private armies and extreme politicians organized a strike which almost broke up
900-608: A negotiated independence for Northern Ireland, as well as a framework constitution for the new state. The idea however failed to take off as the UDA was unable to challenge the hegemony of the political parties and it was only in the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party that there existed any sympathy for the notion of independence. The UVF formed a Volunteer Political Party soon after the strike and this group, which rejected Ulster nationalism, suffered similar problems to
990-462: A phone number for anyone involved in these professions. The full list of services deemed essential by the UWC was as follows: bakeries, groceries, dairies, chemists, butchers, confectioners, electricity, gas, water, sewage, hospitals, animal feed, farmers, wages, banks, schools, medical services, hospital and school transport, solicitors, newspapers, normal recreational activities, coal supplies and postal service. Bars were not included in this list, with
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#17328445366881080-577: A speech at Westminster, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson condemned the strike. He said that it was a "sectarian strike" and was "being done for sectarian purposes". A 13-year-old Catholic girl lost both legs when she stepped on an Irish Republican Army land mine in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. In Bangor a bomb wrecked the house of a Catholic family who were away on holiday. Another bomb wrecked seven shops in Castlederg . In an attempt to bring
1170-465: A success and argued that it was ensuring maintenance of the previously defined 'essential services', especially the supply of petrol. Police reported that–over the past few days–two petrol stations had been bombed, three pubs and a café had been wrecked and three more pubs had been burnt-down after their owners refused to shut. The army took over twenty petrol stations across the region to supply petrol to those drivers deemed essential and in receipt of
1260-580: A whole rather than the UWC and galvanised support for the strike, with a small sponge worn on the lapel appearing as a sign of support for the UWC the following morning. A Catholic civilian, Alfred Stilges (52), was found beaten to death in an empty house on Forthriver Road in the Glencairn area Belfast. The attack was blamed on loyalists. The British Army launched a series of raids on loyalists areas around Belfast, taking more than thirty suspected activists into custody. The UWC declared its system of permits
1350-667: Is the permanent bureaucracy of employees that supports the Northern Ireland Executive , the devolved government of Northern Ireland. The NICS is one of three civil services in the United Kingdom, the others being the Home Civil Service and HM Diplomatic Service . The heads of these services are members of the Permanent Secretaries Management Group. Northern Ireland was established by
1440-566: The Belfast News Letter declaring their support for the UWC. Catholic civilian Michael Mallon (20) was found shot dead by the side of Milltown Road in Belfast. He had been beaten-up in a UDA club before being shot four times in the head and dumped by the roadside. In the Falls district, a 28-year-old Catholic man was shot four times on a street corner. The gunman sped-off in a car and the victim
1530-639: The British Isles and Western Europe, was not accountable to locally elected political representatives during this time. From 1982 to 1999, there were six departments: The Good Friday Agreement (April 1998) led to the formation of the Northern Ireland Executive (accountable to the Northern Ireland Assembly ) on 2 December 1999, which ended 25 years of direct rule. The Executive was suspended several times due to political disputes (notably from October 2002 to May 2007) and each suspension resulted in
1620-587: The Council of Ireland , a group established under the terms of the Sunningdale Agreement to facilitate co-ordination between the governments of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The motion was defeated by 44 votes to 28. Following the Assembly debate, Harland & Wolff shop steward and Ulster Workers Council (UWC) central organiser Harry Murray told a group of journalists that
1710-624: The Government of Ireland Act 1920 and the first devolved Parliament of Northern Ireland took office on 7 June 1921. The first civil servants were transferred from the Irish civil service headquartered at Dublin Castle . The departments of the Northern Ireland Government were initially the following: An additional Ministry of Health and Local Government was formed in 1944, in preparation for
1800-570: The National Health Service and other aspects of the welfare state. In 1965, that department was split between the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the new Ministry of Development . A further Ministry of Community Relations was established in 1969, in response to the early stages of the Troubles . The Parliament of Northern Ireland was dissolved on 30 March 1972, when direct rule
1890-499: The Northern Ireland Act 1998 , the First Minister was elected by the Assembly on a joint ticket with the deputy First Minister through a cross-community vote . It was created to enable the leaders of the main unionist and nationalist parties to work together, with guaranteed joint representation of both main communities. For the purposes of a cross-community vote, MLAs were designated as unionist, nationalist, or other. The nominees for First Minister and deputy First Minister required
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#17328445366881980-449: The Northern Ireland Assembly on a joint ticket by a cross-community vote , under consociational principles. That process was changed following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement , such that the first minister now is nominated by the largest party overall, and the deputy first minister is nominated by the largest party from the next largest community block (understood to mean "Unionist", "Nationalist", or "Other"). On 17 June 2021, despite
2070-477: The Police Service of Northern Ireland (10,542). The public sector constituted 31.3% of the region's workforce. In July 2024, the Northern Ireland Civil Service employed 24,106 staff with the breakdown by department was as follows: The Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland are not civil servants and are independent of the Executive. The Commissioners are responsible for ensuring that appointments to
2160-536: The Springfield Road and Gallahers on York Road were thwarted when loyalist paramilitaries turned up at the premises ordering everybody out and throwing petrol bombs. Workers were largely untouched in predominantly Catholic towns such as Strabane as the loyalist paramilitaries had no structure in place to launch an intimidation campaign but even in these locations work was severely disrupted as electricity supplies proved highly unreliable. A political response to
2250-808: The St Andrews Agreement in October 2006, the appointment procedure was changed to allow for: This procedure, which removed the need for a joint ticket between the unionist Democratic Unionist Party and the nationalist Sinn Féin party, was used to appoint Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness on 8 May 2007. It was again used to appoint Peter Robinson (DUP) alongside McGuinness on 5 June 2008 and again on 12 May 2011, and to appoint Arlene Foster (DUP) alongside McGuinness on 11 January 2016, also to appoint Foster alongside Michelle O'Neill on 11 January 2020, as well as to appoint Paul Givan alongside O'Neill on 17 June 2021. The new rules from 2006 also state that, if
2340-646: The Sunningdale Agreement , which had been signed in December 1973. Specifically, the strikers opposed the sharing of political power with Irish nationalists , and the proposed role for the Republic of Ireland 's government in running Northern Ireland. The strike was organised and overseen by the Ulster Workers' Council and Ulster Army Council , which were formed shortly after the Agreement's signing. Both of these groups included Ulster loyalist paramilitaries such as
2430-531: The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). These groups helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads and intimidating workers. During the two-week strike, loyalist paramilitaries killed 39 civilians, of whom 33 died in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings . The strike succeeded in bringing down the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive . Responsibility for
2520-622: The Windsor Framework . Sinn Féin was the largest party in the Assembly after the 2022 Assembly Election , but the Unionist parties were the largest designation in the assembly. The Minister of Justice is now the only Northern Ireland Executive minister elected by cross-community vote. All other ministers are party appointees, with parties taking turns using the D'Hondt method . The First Minister or deputy First Minister may also appoint another Northern Ireland Executive Minister to exercise
2610-948: The Army. Harold Wilson, Brian Faulkner (the Chief Executive), Gerry Fitt (the Deputy Chief Executive) and Oliver Napier (the Legal Minister and Head of the Office of Law Reform) met at Chequers to discuss the strike. Following the meeting a statement was issued affirming the earlier British government position that any group operating outside constitutional politics could not be negotiated with. Loyalists shot dead two Catholic civilians, Sean Byrne and his brother Brendan Byrne, at their pub The Wayside Halt near Ballymena , County Antrim . The UDA and UVF members, travelling in minibuses, had wrecked three other pubs around Ballymena and attacked
2700-513: The British government they agreed to renominate Michelle O'Neill for deputy First Minister. However, 24 of the DUP's 28 MLAs voted against Givan, leading to Poots' resignation as party leader. Separately, between 12 February 2000 and 30 May 2000, and 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007, however, devolution was suspended, and along with it the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister. The Office of
2790-474: The DUP denounced the term as "republican speak" and it is not used in legislation. Jim Allister , the leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice , long called Robinson and McGuinness "the joint first ministers", to highlight the joint nature of the office and to demonstrate his opposition to the power-sharing arrangements. With the restoration of power-sharing in 2020, Sinn Féin started describing
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2880-400: The Executive put in place arrangements to ensure that Social Security benefits were paid to claimants. A statement was issued by the UWC indicating that they favoured escalating the strike, calling for an all-out stoppage to commence at midnight on Sunday 19 May. There was still some scepticism about the chances of success for the strike at this point as it had yet to win much support amongst
2970-420: The Executive. The ministers' policy responsibilities include: Two junior ministers assist the First Minister and deputy First Minister in carrying out the work of Executive Office . They are jointly accountable to the First Minister and deputy First Minister. The incumbent junior ministers are Aisling Reilly ( Sinn Féin ) and Pam Cameron ( Democratic Unionist Party ). As originally established under
3060-690: The Executive: The Executive collapsed due to the loyalist Ulster Workers' Council Strike and direct rule resumed. The Troubles continued in the absence of a political settlement. Between May 1974 and December 1999, departments were led politically by junior ministers in the Northern Ireland Office . UK Governments alternated between the Conservative and Labour parties, neither of which included Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Civil Service, uniquely in
3150-603: The First Minister and deputy First Minister became the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland . There were also two 24-hour periods of suspension on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001. to allow timetables for negotiation to restart. Devolution was suspended from 10 January 2017 to 10 January 2020. Ulster Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin During
3240-792: The Good Friday Agreement, along with the Northern Ireland Assembly. Various ways of translating the titles "First Minister and deputy First Minister" into the Ulster Scots dialects have been attested in official communications, including Heid Männystèr an tha Heid Männystèr depute , First Meinister an First Meinister depute , First Meenister an First Meenister depute and First Minister an First Minister depute . The second position has been written as "Deputy" or "deputy" First Minister, due to differing preferences by civil servants (and potentially ministers), although
3330-617: The Northern Ireland Civil Service and the media through abbreviations (see brackets below): The number of departments increased to 11 (and ministers to 12) when the Department of Justice (abbreviated to DoJ) was created on 12 April 2010. The Northern Ireland Office continued in operation, representing the interests of the United Kingdom Government in Northern Ireland. Following the Fresh Start Agreement (November 2015),
3420-534: The Northern Ireland Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition; they also have a role in hearing appeals made by existing civil servants under the Northern Ireland Civil Service's Code of Ethics. Under the Code of Ethics, each civil servant is expected to carry out his or her role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values : integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality, defined as follows. The code also outlines
3510-610: The Northern Ireland Executive was for all intents and purposes brought to a conclusion. In his final speech in the Executive meeting room Faulkner said "after five months of being able to work together, Catholic and Protestant, I hope that one thing can remain – that we do not attack each other on a sectarian basis ever again". In a final show of support for the strike the Upper Newtownards Road in East Belfast
3600-605: The Protestant middle classes and skilled workers. Indeed, even Rev. Robert Bradford , a member of the Vanguard, had argued that morning that the strike should be ended as he believed the politicians could bring down the Executive on their own. Nonetheless, a note of caution was sounded when the Executive was informed that the British Army would not be able to run the power stations alone and attempts were made to open negotiations between
3690-557: The UVF exploded four car bombs in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during "the Troubles". No warnings were given before the bombs were detonated. Three exploded in Dublin during rush hour (killing 26 people and an unborn child) and one exploded in Monaghan 90 minutes later (killing 7 people). Most of
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3780-745: The UWC and the Northern Ireland Labour Party . A member of the UDA shot dead UVF member Joseph Shaw during a fight in North Star Bar on North Queen Street, Belfast. Merlyn Rees declared a State of Emergency under Section Forty of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 . Rees then flew to Chequers for talks with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson . Meanwhile, the United Ulster Unionist Council met and decided to publicly declare their support for
3870-426: The UWC ordering pub closures. This decision, which was made in the evening of 16 May, several hours after the initial list had been published, was strongly influenced by the wives of striking workers, who had complained that many of their husbands were using the strike as an excuse for heavy drinking sessions. Attempts by significant sections of the workforce to carry on at leading Belfast factories such as Mackies on
3960-447: The UWC, which in turn withdrew its earlier call for an all-out stoppage. With the public support of the UUUC now secured the UWC set up a co-ordinating committee to run the strike on more professional lines. Chaired by Glenn Barr , a leading figure in both the Vanguard and the UDA, the group consisted of around fifteen members including the three political party leaders, three UWC members and
4050-449: The agreement between their two parties on 26 March 2007. Paisley stated his intention to resign on 4 March 2008. His Deputy as DUP leader, Peter Robinson was ratified as Democratic Unionist Party leader designate on 17 April 2008 and became First Minister on 5 June 2008. Arlene Foster succeeded Peter Robinson as DUP leader on 18 December 2015, and as First Minister on 11 January 2016. After more than 20 DUP MLAs and four DUP MPs signed
4140-458: The appointment of O'Neill as First Minister, the first Irish nationalist to be appointed to the position, and DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly as Deputy First Minister, on 3 February 2024. Lowercase "d" per here . The First Minister and deputy First Minister share equal responsibilities within government, and their decisions are made jointly. The First Minister is, though, the first to greet official visitors to Northern Ireland and shares
4230-408: The capital 'D' still appears in some places, and a spokesman confirmed on 20 March 2008 that the office had "no plans" to change the OFMDFM logo. However, the Assembly committee that scrutinises their work is now listed as the "Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister". Ultimately it was decided that McGuinness should be referred to as the deputy First Minister, unless all
4320-511: The capitalisation of the title has no constitutional consequences in practice. The first two holders of the office, Seamus Mallon and Mark Durkan , were both referred to during their periods of office as "Deputy First Minister", with a capital 'D'. In the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, which established the executive in Northern Ireland, the two positions are spelt "First Minister and Deputy First Minister" (with
4410-469: The chair itself, with Paisley eventually allowed to retain it as he claimed to need a chair with arms due to his back pain. As a result of the strikes electricity generation had fallen to around one third of standard levels and telephone calls were to be restricted to emergency use only. Meanwhile, the British government deployed an extra five hundred troops to Northern Ireland. The United Ulster Unionist Council leaders meanwhile took out an advertisement in
4500-471: The fabric of civilized life in Ulster. They deprived most of the population for much of the time of food, water, electricity, gas, transport, money and any form of livelihood. T. E. Utley also recognised the fact that the UWC's apparatus had become almost a shadow government for the duration of the strike although he did not develop this point, instead concentrating on praising the strike and its aims thus: Here
4590-552: The functions of the office during a vacancy; currently for a continuous period up to six weeks. Vacancies have occurred on four occasions to date: In the Irish language, the literal translation of these positions is "Céad-Aire agus an leas Chéad-Aire". The titles appear in both English and Irish in published literature by the North-South Ministerial Council, one of the "mutually inter-dependent" institutions laid out in
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#17328445366884680-453: The government of Northern Ireland then reverted to the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster under the arrangements for 'Direct Rule'. The successful strike was later described by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , Merlyn Rees , as an "outbreak of Ulster nationalism ". A debate was held in the Northern Ireland Assembly on a motion condemning power-sharing and
4770-480: The heads of the loyalist paramilitaries. The first meeting of the committee revealed some friction as Barr entered late and found Ian Paisley sitting at the head of the table. Barr told him "you might be chairman of the Democratic Unionist Party but I'm chairman of the co-ordinating committee, so move over". Paisley moved from the head of the table but carried the chair away with him and the two argued over
4860-536: The joint heads of government of Northern Ireland , leading the Northern Ireland Executive and with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office . Despite the titles of the two offices, the two positions have the same governmental power, resulting in a duumvirate ; the deputy first minister, is not subordinate to the first minister. Created under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement , both were initially nominated and appointed by members of
4950-455: The largest party of the largest designation happens not to also be the largest party in the assembly overall, then the appointment procedure would be as follows: This method of selection was first used in 2024, after the DUP ended its Stormont boycott following agreed changes with the UK government regarding post-Brexit trading relations affected by the Northern Ireland protocol and the implementation of
5040-431: The leaders to abandon the strike although it would not be until the 19th that West followed Craig and Paisley in publicly endorsing the strike. The strike began to impact upon agriculture as milk that had not been collected or processed had to be dumped whilst fresh food was similarly not transported to market. However a group of essential services were defined by the UWC, who permitted these to continue as normal, issuing
5130-553: The office. Some believe that the case change was advocated to highlight the fact that the position holds the same power as the position of First Minister, but a spokesman for McGuinness said that neither McGuinness nor his advisers had asked for the change. Speaker William Hay ordered the change and the capital 'D' was no longer used in Hansard references. Officials edited the department's archive of press releases to make that change (despite its use by Mallon and Durkan when in office) but
5220-468: The other letters in the title are in capitals. Confusion isn't completely resolved however; if McGuinness wrote to the Assembly committee that scrutinised his work, his note would have a letterhead that comes from the "Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister", but he would get a reply back from the Committee for the "Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister". In official language,
5310-403: The owners for staying open during the strike. Twenty people were arrested over the killings. Meanwhile, a petrol station in Belfast was bombed for staying open during the strike; there were no injuries. Elsewhere a teenage boy and girl were killed when their car crashed into a loyalist roadblock near Dungannon . The roadblock had been made from a tree felled across the road. Harold Wilson made
5400-519: The parties of Northern Ireland agreed that the number of Executive departments should be reduced. This took effect following the next election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2016 and reduced the number of Civil Service departments (as three departments were dissolved and its roles amalgamated with other departments). The departments (with official abbreviations) are as follows: The Northern Ireland Executive ceased to operate in January 2017, following
5490-548: The periods of suspension, the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland assumed the responsibilities of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Ulster Workers%27 Council Strike 1980s 1990s The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during " the Troubles ". The strike was called by unionists who were against
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#17328445366885580-514: The politicising UDA as it too failed to make any inroads into the support of the established unionist parties. For Harold Wilson the success of the UWC strike convinced him that it was no longer worthwhile to attempt to impose a settlement on Northern Ireland from Westminster. As a result, the next attempt at devolution undertaken by Wilson's government was the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention of 1975. Based on
5670-486: The position as "joint head of government". Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and subsequent the Northern Ireland Act 1998 , the Northern Ireland Assembly was established in 1998 with a view to assuming devolved powers from the Westminster Parliament . On 1 July 1998, David Trimble (UUP) and Seamus Mallon (SDLP) were nominated and elected First Minister and deputy First Minister designates respectively. Eventually, on 2 December 1999, power
5760-426: The positions are sometimes abbreviated to FM/dFM . Sinn Féin started using the phrases "Joint First Minister" and "Co-First Minister" in 2009 to describe the deputy First Minister to highlight the fact that the First Minister and deputy First Minister operated in tandem. Martin McGuinness used the term Joint First Minister himself when he arrived for a meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council in February 2009;
5850-406: The prevailing spirit was one of dignified patriotic protest. For a time the UDA looked to this spirit of Ulster nationalism for its own policy, with Glenn Barr, Andy Tyrie, Tommy Lyttle and Harry Chicken spearheading an initiative in this direction which culminated in the production of the 1979 New Ulster Political Research Group document Beyond the Religious Divide , which drew up a blueprint for
5940-423: The principle of "rolling devolution" it elected a body of politicians and left it up to them to decide the future structure of devolved institutions. The body was dominated by UUUC and collapsed without reaching any conclusions, although it did precipitate a split in the Vanguard after Craig suggested power-sharing with the Social Democratic and Labour Party and the majority of his party broke away in protest to form
6030-426: The representatives of the various groups active in UWC, namely Harry West , Bill Craig and Ian Paisley (the leaders of the three political parties – Ulster Unionist Party , Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party and Democratic Unionist Party – that formed the pro-strike United Ulster Unionist Council ), Andy Tyrie and Tommy Lyttle of the UDA and the UVF's Ken Gibson . Orme attempted unsuccessfully to persuade
6120-405: The resignation of Martin McGuinness ( Sinn Féin ) as deputy First Minister during a dispute between the DUP and Sinn Féin over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal . An early election to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place in March 2017 but the Northern Ireland Executive was not formed afterwards due to continued disputes between the DUP and Sinn Féin. Each department is currently led by
6210-436: The return of direct rule. Devolution was restored on 8 May 2007 and was partially interrupted in late 2015, due to the resignation of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ministers due to alleged Provisional IRA activity. Devolution resulted in an increase in the number of Civil Service departments, accountable to a cross-community Executive of 11 ministers. The Executive initially had 10 departments, which were often described by
6300-455: The same title as their counterparts in Scotland and Wales . Specifically, they are tasked with co-chairing meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive , "dealing with and co-ordinating" the work of the Executive, and the response of the administration to external relationships. The First Minister and deputy First Minister agree the agenda of Executive meetings and can jointly determine "significant or controversial matters" to be considered by
6390-454: The security forces but were quickly re-erected. The strike also hit schools with some GCE exams being affected (although for the most part schools remained open for the duration of the strike). Politically, Gerry Fitt called for the British Army to be deployed to the power stations and the oil refineries whilst Northern Ireland Question Time again focused on the strike. Wilson, on the advice of defence secretary Roy Mason , refused to deploy
6480-404: The shipyard. Very soon the three political leaders also ended their relationship with Andy Tyrie, despite his leading role in the strike. Merlyn Rees had interpreted the strike, in which avowed loyalists had openly defied the British government, as an outbreak of Ulster nationalism . Journalist Robert Fisk endorsed this view by arguing that: The fifteen unprecedented, historic days in which
6570-618: The standards of behaviour expected in carrying out the role in accordance with each of those values. There are three staff groups within the Northern Ireland Civil Service: Senior Civil Service, Non Industrial, and Industrial. The Senior Civil Service has four grades: The Non Industrial staff group is split into the following eight grades: First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland#Capitalisation of ⁘deputy⁘ The first minister and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland are
6660-523: The start of the strike had been poorly organised to the extent that on the first day even his own wife asked him why he was not at work. By the end of day one, the port of Larne was sealed off, with a significant UDA and UVF presence helping to ensure that no ships were allowed to enter or leave the harbour. Elsewhere roadblocks were set up and manned by loyalist paramilitaries under the Ulster Army Council . Hijacked vehicles were often used to block
6750-543: The streets. Electricity supplies were also disrupted when workers at the Ballylumford power station went on strike. The power cuts forced some factories to close and send workers home. The UWC issued a statement that it would ensure that essential services would continue. During the evening there was a meeting at Stormont Castle between Stanley Orme (then Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office) and
6840-569: The strike began to develop slowly. In the British House of Commons at Westminster the UWC strike featured as the main subject of Northern Ireland 'question time'. Merlyn Rees met with loyalists leaders at the Northern Ireland Parliament but insisted that he would not negotiate with the UWC. Meanwhile, Executive member Paddy Devlin threatened to resign over the continuing use of internment. A Catholic civilian, Maureen Moore (21),
6930-593: The strike to an end the Executive agreed to postpone certain parts of the Sunningdale Agreement until 1977 and to reduce the size of the Council of Ireland . The UWC leaders rejected these proposals although the British Government reiterated their earlier position that they would not enter into negotiations with the UWC. A bomb damaged a section of the Belfast–Bangor railway line . It was believed to be
7020-574: The support of: This procedure was used on 2 December 1999 to elect David Trimble ( Ulster Unionist Party , UUP) and Seamus Mallon ( Social Democratic and Labour Party , SDLP). Following several suspensions of the Northern Ireland Executive, Trimble was not re-elected on 2 November 2001 due to opposition from other unionist parties. He was subsequently re-elected alongside Mark Durkan (SDLP) on 6 November 2001; on that occasion, three Alliance Party of Northern Ireland MLAs redesignated from 'other' to 'unionist' to support Trimble's nomination. Following
7110-529: The system hit gas supplies in Belfast and surrounding areas, resulting in a warning that gas users would have to switch their supplies off at the mains. A car bomb exploded in the underground car-park of the Russell Court Hotel in Belfast, forcing it to shut. Rees' continuing refusal to meet with the UWC representatives saw Brian Faulkner tender his resignation as chief executive. When Faulkner's Pro-Assembly Unionist supporters followed him in resigning
7200-620: The term of eight months from 1 December 2020 pending the appointment of a permanent interim Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Jayne Brady is now the Head of the Civil Service in Northern Ireland. As of June 2011, the Northern Ireland Civil Service employed 25,847 staff (out of a total public sector employment of 218,577). The breakdown by department was as follows: Other major public sector employers included National Health Service trusts (68,263), schools, colleges and education and library boards (65,514), local government (12,134) and
7290-613: The victims were young women, although the ages of the dead ranged from five months to 80 years. There are allegations that British Intelligence colluded in the bombings. Sammy Smyth , then press officer of both the UDA and the UWC Strike Committee, said "I am very happy about the bombings in Dublin. There is a war with the [Republic of Ireland] and now we are laughing at them". In the strike itself postal delivery services were halted following intimidation of Royal Mail workers. However
7380-471: The work of loyalists intent on halting all public transport. Another bomb exploded in a shop in the Shankill area of Belfast after the owner defied UWC orders to stay open no more than four hours; there were no injuries. Meanwhile, on Belfast's Newtownards Road, two civilians (one of them on a motorbike) were wounded by gunfire from an unknown source. A number of barricades erected by loyalists were removed by
7470-405: Was an instance of a working-class movement which had resolved to achieve a political objective by means of a general strike. ... By the beginning of the second week of the strike, support for it had spread throughout all classes of the Protestant community. Bank managers and suburban golf club secretaries cheered the strikers on. The atmosphere recalled that of Britain in 1940. ... The whole operation
7560-544: Was conducted...with the utmost discipline and efficiency. The strikers virtually took over the task of government. They enforced a petrol rationing scheme and issued passes to those permitted to go to work. They collected and distributed food, carrying with them the farmers who willingly bore severe financial losses in the process. Their public service announcements were read out on the BBC's Ulster Service each morning. Inevitably, there were instances of brutality, theft and peculation, but
7650-509: Was devolved and Trimble and Mallon formally took office as joint heads of the Northern Ireland Executive . On 6 November 2001, Mark Durkan (SDLP) became deputy First Minister after Seamus Mallon's retirement. The Executive and the two positions were suspended between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007 following a breakdown in trust between the parties. On 8 May 2007, Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) were appointed First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively in line with
7740-504: Was imposed by the United Kingdom Government . The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland assumed responsibility for government and was assisted by a new Northern Ireland Office . The NIO absorbed the Ministry of Home Affairs and took direct responsibility for security, justice and constitutional policy. Following the Sunningdale Agreement , a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive briefly held office between 1 January 1974 and 28 May 1974. The following departments were accountable to
7830-462: Was lined by farmers in their tractors with the convoy continuing all the way to the front entrance of the Stormont parliament, blocking the entrance. Before long news about the collapse of the Executive spread across Northern Ireland, sparking uproarious scenes in Protestant areas. Many people returned to work on 29 May, with the UWC announcing a formal end to the strike on that day. The Assembly itself
7920-461: Was officially prorogued the following day, although it was not officially abolished until 29 March 1975. In the immediate aftermath of the strike the dichotomy between the political and worker leaders was thrown into sharp contrast. Ian Paisley addressed a rally in Rathcoole at which he claimed a personal victory before a crowd of 5,000 people whilst Harry Murray returned to the anonymity of his work at
8010-584: Was reported to be in a critical condition. Len Murray , the then General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), led a 'back-to-work' march but it drew only 200 people. The march was flanked by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army but a crowd of loyalists still managed to attack some of the marchers. A simultaneous march in Cregagh attracted only seventeen people. In
8100-718: Was shot dead by a loyalist sniper as she stood at the corner of Stratheden Street and Edlingham Street in Belfast. A witness said the gunman, believed to be from the UDA, emerged from the Protestant Tiger's Bay area. One woman said there had been sporadic trouble in the area that day and complained that the British Army had done little to stop UDA activity. The army was also engaged in the New Lodge are of north Belfast, breaking up riots between Catholic residents and their Protestant neighbours in Tiger's Bay. Dublin and Monaghan bombings –
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