Department for Communities Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Department for Communities
Department overview

Formed	May 2016
Preceding agencies	Department for Social Development Department for Employment and Learning Department of the Environment Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Jurisdiction	Northern Ireland
Headquarters	Lighthouse Building, 1 Cromac Place, Gasworks Business Park, Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2JB
Employees	7,452 (September 2011)
Annual budget	£505.4 million (current) & £161.6 million (capital) for 2011–12
Minister responsible	Vacant
Website	www.communities-ni.gov.uk

The Department for Communities (DfC) is a government department in Northern Ireland. It is part of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is like the government for Northern Ireland. The person in charge of the department is called the Minister for Communities.

The DfC was created in May 2016. It brought together many different jobs from older departments. For example, it took over tasks from the Department for Social Development and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

What the DfC Does
How the DfC Started
Ministers for Communities
- Direct Rule Ministers
See also

What the DfC Does

The main goal of the Department for Communities is to help people. It aims to "tackle disadvantage and build strong communities." This means they work to make life better for everyone.

Key Responsibilities

The DfC has many important jobs. These jobs help people in Northern Ireland every day.

Housing: They help make sure people have homes. This is done through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
Social Security and Welfare: They manage payments and support for people who need help. This includes benefits for those who are unemployed or have disabilities.
Employment Services: They help people find jobs. They also offer training and support for careers.
Culture, Sports, and Leisure: They support arts, sports, and fun activities. This helps people enjoy their free time and learn new things.
Historic and Cultural Affairs: They look after important historical sites and cultural traditions. This helps preserve Northern Ireland's heritage.

Some of the rules for social security, child support, and pensions are the same across the whole United Kingdom. Even though Northern Ireland can make its own rules, they usually follow the UK Parliament's decisions. This makes sure things are consistent for everyone.

Public Bodies the DfC Oversees

The department also works with several other groups. These groups help carry out the DfC's responsibilities.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive: Helps with housing.
Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: Looks after charities.
Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board for Northern Ireland: Advises on disability benefits.
Rent Assessment Panel: Helps with rent issues.
Vaughan Charity: A charity that the DfC oversees.

They also watch over the Office of the Social Fund Commissioner.

Working with Other Governments

The DfC works with similar departments in other governments.

In the UK Government: They work with the Department for Work and Pensions on social security. They also work with the Department for Communities and Local Government on housing.
In the Irish Government: They work with the Department of Social Protection. They also work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on housing matters.

How the DfC Started

The way Northern Ireland is governed has changed over time. The DfC's responsibilities used to belong to different government groups.

Early Days of Government

Long ago, local councils and the Ministry of Home Affairs handled housing. In 1944, a new Ministry of Health and Local Government was set up. This was part of creating a "welfare state" to help people.

Later, in 1965, this ministry split into two. One part became the Ministry of Development, which handled housing. The other became the Ministry of Health and Social Services (DHSS), which dealt with social security.

Direct Rule and Devolution

In 1972, the UK Government took direct control of Northern Ireland. This was called "direct rule." The ministries were renamed. The Ministry of Development became the Department of the Environment. The DHSS became the Department of Health and Social Services.

The DfC mainly brought together the housing and social security parts from these older departments. Even today, some people still use the initials DHSS when talking about benefits.

After the Belfast Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland got its own government back. This process is called devolution. It meant that Northern Ireland could make more of its own laws again.

The DfC (which was first called the Department for Social Development) was one of five new departments created in December 1999. A minister for the department first took office on 2 December 1999.

Periods of Suspension

Sometimes, the Northern Ireland government was paused. During these times, the department was managed by UK ministers. This happened for several periods:

From February to May 2000.
Briefly in August and September 2001.
From October 2002 to May 2007.

Since May 2007, the Northern Ireland government has mostly been working. However, it was not fully active between 2017 and 2020.

Ministers for Communities

A Minister for Communities is the political leader of the department. They make important decisions and represent the department.

	Minister	Party	Start	End
Office established as Minister of Social Development
	Nigel Dodds	DUP	29 November 1999	11 February 2000
Office suspended
	Nigel Dodds	DUP	30 May 2000	26 July 2000
	Maurice Morrow	DUP	27 July 2000	18 October 2001
	Nigel Dodds	DUP	25 October 2001	11 October 2002
Office suspended
	Margaret Ritchie	SDLP	14 May 2007	23 May 2010
	Alex Attwood	SDLP	24 May 2010	4 May 2011
	Nelson McCausland	DUP	14 May 2011	23 September 2014
	Mervyn Storey	DUP	24 September 2014	12 January 2016
	Lord Morrow	DUP	13 January 2016	30 March 2016
Office renamed Minister of Communities
	Paul Givan	DUP	25 May 2016	2 March 2017
Office suspended
	Deirdre Hargey	Sinn Féin	11 January 2020	14 June 2020
	Carál Ní Chuilín	Sinn Féin	15 June 2020	15 December 2020
	Deirdre Hargey	Sinn Féin	16 December 2020	27 October 2022