British–Irish Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
British–Irish Council

Comhairle na Breataine–na hÉireann
Logo of the British–Irish Council
Heads of government meet in Glasgow for the 26th council summit
Abbreviation	BIC
Formation	2 December 1999; 25 years ago (1999-12-02)
Type	Intergovernmental organisation
Headquarters	Edinburgh, Scotland (secretariat)
Region served	British Isles
Membership

The British–Irish Council (BIC; Irish: Comhairle na Breataine–na hÉireann) is an intergovernmental organisation that aims to improve collaboration between its members in a number of areas including transport, the environment and energy. Its membership comprises Ireland, the United Kingdom, the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, in addition to the governments of the British Crown Dependencies: Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. As England does not have a devolved administration, it is not individually represented on the council but only as a member of the United Kingdom.

The British and Irish governments, and political parties in Northern Ireland, agreed to form a council under the British–Irish Agreement, part of the Good Friday Agreement reached in 1998. The council was formally established on 2 December 1999, when the Agreement came into effect. The council's stated aim is to "promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands". The BIC has a standing secretariat, located in Edinburgh, Scotland; it meets in semi-annual summits and more frequent ministerial meetings.

Overview and structure

The nine heads of government meet at summits twice per year. Additionally, there are regular meetings that deal with specific sectors which are attended by the corresponding ministers. Representatives of members operate in accordance with whatever procedures for democratic authority and accountability are in force in their respective elected legislatures.

England, unlike the other countries of the United Kingdom, is not represented separately, as it does not have its own devolved administration. It is thus solely represented on the council as part of the United Kingdom. Although Cornwall technically holds observer status on the Council due to its language, it is also represented by the UK government.

The work of the council is financed by members through mutual agreement as required. At the ninth meeting of the Council in July 2007 it was decided that with devolved government returned to Northern Ireland that an opportune time existed "to undertake a strategic review of the Council's work programmes, working methods and support arrangements." This decision included the potential for a permanent standing secretariat, which was established in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 4 January 2012.

At its June 2010 summit, the Council decided to move forward on recommendations to enhance the relationship between it and the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA). The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly is made up of members from the parliaments and assemblies of the same states and regions as the members of the British–Irish Council. The Council tasked its secretariat with moving this work forward in conjunction with the BIPA's secretariat.

Work areas

A British-Irish Council summit hosted by Scotland at Stirling Castle

The Council agrees to specific work areas for which individual members take responsibility. The Belfast Agreement suggested transport links, agriculture, environmental issues, culture, health, education and approaches to the European Union as suitable topics for early discussion. However, these work areas can be expanded or reduced as the Council decides. It is also open to the council to make agreement on common policies. These agreements are made through consensus, although individual members may opt not to participate in implementing any of these.

The current list of work areas and the member responsible are:

Demography was adopted as a work area at the 2006 meeting of the council. It was proposed by the Scottish Executive, who also took responsibility for it. During the 2007 meeting of the council the Scottish Government further proposed that energy become a work area of the council. Past work sector areas included knowledge economy, e-health / telemedicine and tourism.

Membership and operation

Members and advisors

Member name	Symbols		Parliament	Membership	Membership status	Represented since
	Arms	Flag
United Kingdom			Parliament of the United Kingdom	full	sovereign state	1999
Ireland			Oireachtas
Scotland			Scottish Parliament		devolved government
Wales			Senedd
Northern Ireland	None	None	Northern Ireland Assembly
Jersey			States Assembly		crown dependency
Isle of Man			Tynwald
Guernsey			States of Guernsey

Advisor name	Symbols		Parliament	Advisor	Advisor status	Represented since
	Arms	Flag
Cornwall			Cornwall Council	Advisor on Cornish language	English unitary authority	2023

Current leaders

Membership of the Council consists of the following administrations (with current heads of administrations as of December 2024):

Member Administration	Representative(s)			Title
United Kingdom			Rishi Sunak MP	Prime Minister
Ireland			Simon Harris TD	Taoiseach
Scotland			John Swinney MSP	First Minister
Wales			Vaughan Gething MS	First Minister
Northern Ireland			Michelle O'Neill MLA	First Minister
			Emma Little-Pengelly MLA	deputy First Minister
Jersey			Deputy Lyndon Farnham	Chief Minister
Isle of Man			Alfred Cannan MHK	Chief Minister
Guernsey			Deputy Lyndon Trott	P&RC President

Name of the Council

Initial suggestions for the council included the names Council of the British Isles or Council of the Isles, and the council has sometimes been known by the latter name. However, owing to sensitivities around the term British Isles, particularly in Ireland, the name British–Irish Council was agreed.

The official name of the council is represented in minority and lesser-used languages of the council as:

Summits

See also

• Council of Ireland
• North/South Ministerial Council
• British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference
• British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly
• Interparliamentary Forum
• East–West Council