Department of Finance and Personnel

Northern Ireland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Northern Ireland

Executive Executive Committee First Minister Peter Robinson MLA deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments Assembly Acts Statutory rules Speaker William Hay MLA Committees Members (MLA) Elections in Northern Ireland Constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Northern Irish Law Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of Northern Ireland NI in the UK Her Majesty's Government Secretary of State Owen Paterson MP Parliament of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Office Reserved and excepted matters Direct Rule Grand Committee Select Committee Elections List of Northern Irish MPs NI in the EU European Parliament Elections Constituency & MEPs Local Government Local government in Northern Ireland Counties Districts

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view · talk · edit

The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP, Irish: An Roinn Airgeadais agus Pearsanra^[1], Ulster Scots: Männystrie o Siller an Fowk Guideship^[2] or Depairtment o Finance an Personnel^[3]) 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 and Personnel.

Aim

DFP’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”. ^[4]

The incumbent Minister is Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party).^[5]

Responsibilities

The department is responsible for the following policy areas:

• finance
• the Northern Ireland Civil Service
• land and property
• building regulation
• procurement
• civil law reform
• civil registration

Some financial matters are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved: ^[6]

• financial services
• financial markets

In addition, some matters are excepted and were not intended for devolution: ^[7]

• taxation
• currency

DFP’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:

• HM Treasury; ^[8]
• the Cabinet Office (on civil service matters); ^[9]
• the Ministry of Justice (on civil law reform); ^[10]
• the Department for Communities and Local Government (on building regulation); ^[11]
• HM Land Registry (on land registration). ^[12]

In the Irish Government, the main counterparts are:

• the Department of Finance; ^[13]
• the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform;
• the Department of Justice and Equality (on civil law reform and land registration); ^{[14] [15]}
• the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (on building regulation). ^[16]

History

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 one of 11 devolved Northern Ireland departments created 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:

• between 12 February 2000 ^[17] and 30 May 2000^[18];
• on 11 August 2001 ^[19][20];
• on 22 September 2001 ^[21][22];
• between 15 October 2002^[23] and 8 May 2007^[24].

Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.

Ministers of Finance and Personnel

	Minister	Party	Took office	Left office
	Mark Durkan	SDLP	2 December 1999	11 February 2000
Office suspended
	Mark Durkan	SDLP	30 May 2000	14 December 2001[25]
	Seán Farren	SDLP	14 December 2001	14 October 2002
Office suspended
	Peter Robinson	Democratic Unionist	8 May 2007	5 June 2008
	Nigel Dodds	Democratic Unionist	9 June 2008	1 July 2009
	Sammy Wilson	Democratic Unionist	1 July 2009

Direct rule ministers

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

• Adam Ingram (2000)
• Ian Pearson (2002-05)
• Lord Rooker (2005-06)
• David Hanson (2006-07)

References

1. ^ Department of Finance and Personnel - Irish Department of Finance and Personnel
2. ^ Department of Finance and Personnel - Ulster-Scots Department of Finance and Personnel
3. ^ North-South Ministerial Council: 2010 Annual Report in Ulster Scots
4. ^ Northern Ireland Budget 2011-15, page 65
5. ^ Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland Executive
6. ^ Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
7. ^ Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2
8. ^ HM Treasury: About us
9. ^ Cabinet Office: About the Cabinet Office
10. ^ Ministry of Justice: About us
11. ^ Communities and Local Government: About us
12. ^ Land Registry: Framework document
13. ^ Department of Finance: How the Department works
14. ^ Department of Justice and Equality: Law Reform
15. ^ Department of Justice, Equality and Defence: Property Registration
16. ^ Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Standards
17. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
18. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
19. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
20. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
21. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
22. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
23. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
24. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
25. ^ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

See also

• Committee for Finance and Personnel
• NIDirect

External links

• DFP
• NIDirect
• The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999PDF (37.0 KB)