Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Encyclopedia
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS, , Ulster Scots: Männystrie o Poustie, Resydènter Heisin an Fowk Siccar or Depairtment o Halth, Social Sairins an Public Sauftie) is a devolved Northern Ireland
government department in the Northern Ireland Executive
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
The incumbent Minister is Edwin Poots
(Democratic Unionist Party
).
Some sensitive health policy issues are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved:
In Northern Ireland, abortion
law is a criminal justice matter and is devolved.
DHSSPS' main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
In the Irish Government
, its main counterpart is:
consists of the following public bodies:
Northern Ireland-wide
Sub-regional health and social care trusts
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. DHSSPS 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
:
Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.
were responsible for the department:
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
government department in the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Aim
DHSSPS’ overall aim and mission is to “improve the health and social well-being of the people of Northern Ireland.”The incumbent Minister is Edwin Poots
Edwin Poots
Alderman Edwin Poots MLA is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley.-Biography:...
(Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
).
Responsibilities
The Minister, assisted by the department, makes policy and legislation in three broad areas:- health and social care - hospitals, family practitioner services and community health and personal social services;
- public health - promoting and protecting the health and well-being of the population; and
- public safety - the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue ServiceNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue ServiceThe Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Northern Ireland. The NIFRS is overseen by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, which in turn is subordinate to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety...
(but not the Police Service of Northern IrelandPolice Service of Northern IrelandThe Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
or HM CoastguardHer Majesty's CoastguardHer Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
).
Some sensitive health policy issues are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved:
- xenotransplantationXenotransplantationXenotransplantation , is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants...
- surrogacySurrogacySurrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person. This woman may be the child's genetic mother , or she may carry the pregnancy to delivery after having an embryo, to which she has no genetic relationship whatsoever, transferred to her uterus...
- human fertilisationFertilisationFertilisation is the fusion of gametes to produce a new organism. In animals, the process involves the fusion of an ovum with a sperm, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo...
and embryologyEmbryologyEmbryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage... - human geneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
In Northern Ireland, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
law is a criminal justice matter and is devolved.
DHSSPS' main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
- the Department of HealthDepartment of Health (United Kingdom)The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
; - the Department for Communities and Local GovernmentDepartment for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
(on fire services).
In the Irish Government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
, its main counterpart is:
- the Department of Health;
- the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (on fire services).
Health and Social Care organisations
The Health and Social Care system in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
consists of the following public bodies:
Northern Ireland-wide
- Health and Social Care Board
- Northern Ireland Ambulance Trust
- Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
- Business Services Organisation
- Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue ServiceNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue ServiceThe Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Northern Ireland. The NIFRS is overseen by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, which in turn is subordinate to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety...
- Public Health Agency
- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
Sub-regional health and social care trusts
- Belfast Health and Social Care TrustBelfast Health and Social Care TrustThe Belfast Trust is a Health and Social Care Trust covering Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Trust is one of five new NHS trusts which were created on 1 April 2007 by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety...
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
History
Following a referendum on the Belfast AgreementBelfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
on 23 May 1998 and the granting of Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
to the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Northern Ireland Act 1998
The Northern Ireland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after decades of direct rule from Westminster....
on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
and Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
were established by the United Kingdom government under Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. The process was known as devolution
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
and was set up to return devolved legislative powers to Northern Ireland. DHSSPS is one of 11 devolved Northern Ireland departments created in December 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Northern Ireland Act 1998
The Northern Ireland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after decades of direct rule from Westminster....
and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
The Departments Order 1999 set out new devolved Northern Ireland government departments and the Northern Ireland Executive.-Departments created:The Departments Order 1999 created the following departments:...
.
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
Direct Rule
Direct rule was the term given, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, to the administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster, seat of United Kingdom government...
ministers from 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, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
:
- between 12 February 2000 and 30 May 2000;
- on 11 August 2001 ;
- on 22 September 2001 ;
- between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007.
Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.
Ministers of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
| Minister | Party | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bairbre de Brún Bairbre de Brún Bairbre de Brún is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing Northern Ireland.- Political work :... |
2 December 1999 | 11 February 2000 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Bairbre de Brún Bairbre de Brún Bairbre de Brún is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing Northern Ireland.- Political work :... |
30 May 2000 | 14 October 2002 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Michael McGimpsey Michael McGimpsey Michael McGimpsey MLA is an Ulster Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Belfast South who has twice served in the Northern Ireland Executive... |
8 May 2007 | 5 May 2011 | ||
| Edwin Poots Edwin Poots Alderman Edwin Poots MLA is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley.-Biography:... |
16 May 2011 | |||
Direct rule ministers
During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland OfficeNorthern 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, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
were responsible for the department:
- George HowarthGeorge HowarthGeorge Edward Howarth is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Knowsley North from 1986 until 1997, and since then for its replacement Knowsley North and Sefton East....
(2000) - Des BrowneDes BrowneDesmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010...
(2002-03) - Angela SmithAngela Evans SmithAngela Evans Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Basildon from 1997 till she was defeated in 2010...
(2003-05) - Shaun WoodwardShaun WoodwardShaun Anthony Woodward is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for St Helens South since 2001. He served in the Cabinet from 28 June 2007 to 11 May 2010 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland...
(2005-06) - Paul GogginsPaul GogginsPaul Gerard Goggins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wythenshawe and Sale East since 1997, and was a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office.-Early life:...
(2006-07)