Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly
Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly | |
|---|---|
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| Date formed | 3 February 2024 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Charles III |
| Head of government | Michelle O'Neill |
| Deputy head of government | Emma Little-Pengelly |
| Total no. of members | 10 (+ 2 junior ministers) |
| Member party | Sinn Féin DUP Alliance UUP |
| Status in legislature | Power–sharing coalition
77 / 90 (86%)
|
| Opposition party | SDLP |
| Opposition leader | Matthew O'Toole |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2022 Assembly election |
| Legislature term(s) | 7th Assembly |
| Predecessor | Executive of the 6th Assembly |
| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
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The Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly was appointed on 3 February 2024, following the 2022 election to the seventh Northern Ireland Assembly held on 5 May 2022 and the protracted negotiations leading up to the 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation. The newly elected assembly met for the first time on 13 May 2022.[1] It is led by Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy First Minister.
Formation discussions[edit]
As leader of the largest party in the Assembly, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill is expected by commentators to be the leading candidate for the First Minister office,[2][3] with the party entitled to make the only nomination to the position.[4] Her election would rely on the Democratic Unionist Party's agreement to sit on the executive, and serve in the Assembly, something which is in doubt since the party's previous First Minister Paul Givan resigned the post in February 2022, in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit agreement,[5] the implementation of which unionists have objected to.[6]
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP leader and Member of Parliament for Lagan Valley secured an MLA position in the eponymous constituency, becoming the presumed choice for Deputy First Minister, but has since announced that the DUP leadership team would decide if he would take that seat, (and thus call a by-election for his Westminster seat), or appoint a proxy.[7] On 12 May, the day before the first scheduled sitting day of the Assembly, Donaldson announced his decision to remain as an MP, and formally co-opted former MP for Belfast South and MLA for Belfast South, Emma Little-Pengelly, to take his seat in the Assembly.[8]
The DUP refused to assent to the election of a Speaker on 13 May[9] in further protest to the Northern Ireland Protocol, so the Assembly could not continue to other business, including the appointment of a fresh Executive.[10] The Speaker and incumbent ministers from the previous Assembly continued in office in caretaker capacity, a new arrangement introduced by the New Decade, New Approach agreement,[9] but this provision expired in October 2022.
On 30 January 2024, leader of the DUP Jeffrey Donaldson announced that the DUP would allow the formation of the institutions on the condition that new legislation was passed by the UK House of Commons.[11]
6th Executive of Northern Ireland[edit]
| Portfolio | Minister | Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Ministers | ||||
| First Minister | Michelle O'Neill | Sinn Féin | 2024–present | |
| Deputy First Minister | Emma Little-Pengelly | DUP | 2024–present | |
| Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs | Andrew Muir | Alliance | 2024–present | |
| Communities | Gordon Lyons | DUP | 2024–present | |
| Economy | Conor Murphy | Sinn Féin | 2024–present | |
| Education | Paul Givan | DUP | 2024–present | |
| Finance | Caoimhe Archibald | Sinn Féin | 2024–present | |
| Health | Robin Swann | Ulster Unionist | 2024–present | |
| Infrastructure | John O'Dowd | Sinn Féin | 2024–present | |
| Justice | Naomi Long | Alliance | 2024–present | |
| Also attending Executive meetings | ||||
| Junior Minister (assisting the First Minister) | Aisling Reilly | Sinn Féin | 2024–present | |
| Junior Minister (assisting the deputy First Minister) | Pam Cameron | DUP | 2024–present | |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Business Diary Monday 09 May 2022 - Friday 13 May 2022". NIAssembly.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Michelle O'Neill: centre stage for Sinn Féin's prospective first minister". TheGuardian.com. 7 May 2022.
- ^ Ó Liatháin, Concubhar (4 May 2022). "Ireland could be under Cork rule if Michelle O'Neill and Sinn Féin triumph in Northern elections". Corkman – via Independent.ie.
- ^ "NI election results 2022: Sinn Féin wins most seats in historic election". BBC News. 8 May 2022.
- ^ McClements, Freya (3 February 2022). "Paul Givan resigns as First Minister of Northern Ireland in DUP protocol protest". IrishTimes.com.
- ^ Connelly, Tony (7 May 2022). "NI Protocol: Return of the unionist veto?" – via RTÉ.ie.
- ^ Mulgrew, John (6 May 2022). "Lagan Valley: Sir Jeffrey secures seat and calls for action on protocol". Belfasttelegraph – via Belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
- ^ McCormack, Jayne (12 May 2022). "Little-Pengelly to take Donaldson's assembly seat". BBC.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ a b Phillips, Alexa (13 May 2022). "Northern Ireland Assembly fails to elect Speaker after DUP blocks formation of government". Sky News.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Protocol: Assembly Speaker blocked by DUP for second time". BBC News. 30 May 2022.
- ^ "DUP executive endorses deal to restore devolution at Stormont". BBC News. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.