Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Department of the Environment (DOE) is a devolved Northern Ireland
government department in the Northern Ireland Executive
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for the Environment.
development and seeking to secure a better and safer environment for everyone".
The incumbent Minister is Alex Attwood
(Social Democratic and Labour Party
).
The DOE’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
In the Irish Government
, its main counterparts are:
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. DoE 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 for the Environment.
Aim
The DOE’s overall aim is to “work in partnership" with the public, private and voluntary sectors to promote the "economic and social welfare of the community" through "promoting sustainabledevelopment and seeking to secure a better and safer environment for everyone".
The incumbent Minister is Alex Attwood
Alex Attwood
Alex Attwood, MLA is an Irish politician, currently serving in the Northern Ireland Executive, and is the Social Democratic and Labour Party MLA for Belfast West....
(Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
).
Responsibilities
The main policy responsibilities of the department are:- the natural environment
- the built environment
- land use planning
- road safety
- regulation of drivers, vehicles and vehicle operators
- local government
The DOE’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
- the Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(Defra); - 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...
; - the Department for TransportDepartment for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
; - the Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Culture, Media and SportThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
(on built heritage).
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 counterparts are:
- the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; and
- the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
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. DoE 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 the Environment
| Minister | Party | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Foster Sam Foster (UK politician) Major Samuel Foster CBE is a former Ulster Unionist Party politician who served in the Northern Ireland Executive.... |
2 December 1999 | 11 February 2000 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Sam Foster Sam Foster (UK politician) Major Samuel Foster CBE is a former Ulster Unionist Party politician who served in the Northern Ireland Executive.... |
30 May 2000 | 20 February 2002 | ||
| Dermot Nesbitt Dermot Nesbitt Dermot Nesbitt is a politician from Northern Ireland.Nesbitt studied economics at Queens University Belfast and joined the Ulster Unionist Party... |
20 February 2002 | 14 October 2002 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Arlene Foster Arlene Foster Arlene Isabel Foster is a politician in Northern Ireland. She is one of two Democratic Unionist Party MLAs representing the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She became Minister of the Environment on 8 May 2009 and was subsequently reshuffled into the... |
8 May 2007 | 9 June 2008 | ||
| Sammy Wilson Sammy Wilson Samuel Wilson is a politician from Northern Ireland who is a Member of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Assembly for East Antrim. He served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1986 – 1987; and again from June 2000 to June 2001. He was the first person from the Democratic Unionist Party ... |
9 June 2008 | 1 July 2009 | ||
| 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:... |
1 July 2009 | 5 May 2011 | ||
| Alex Attwood Alex Attwood Alex Attwood, MLA is an Irish politician, currently serving in the Northern Ireland Executive, and is the Social Democratic and Labour Party MLA for Belfast West.... |
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) - 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...
(2002-05) - Lord Rooker (2005-06)
- David CairnsDavid Cairns (politician)John David Cairns was a Scottish Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 2001 until his death. He represented the constituency of Inverclyde. He was the Minister of State at the Scotland Office until he resigned on 16 September 2008...
(2006-07)