First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland |
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Logo of the Executive Office
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| Northern Ireland Executive Executive Office |
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| Member of | Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland Executive British–Irish Council PM and Heads of Devolved Governments Council Council of the Nations and Regions |
| Nominator | Largest political party in each of the two largest community designations within the Northern Ireland Assembly |
| Precursor |
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| Inaugural holder | |
| Formation | 1 July 1998 |
| Salary |
£120,000 each
(includes MLA salary) |
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the main leaders of the government in Northern Ireland. They work together as joint heads of the Northern Ireland Executive. This means they share the top job and are both responsible for running the Executive Office.
Even though one is called "First Minister" and the other "Deputy First Minister," they have the same amount of power. One is not above the other. These roles were created in 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement helped bring peace and a way for different groups to share power.
At first, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly chose both leaders together. This was done with a special "cross-community vote." This meant that many people from different groups had to agree.
Later, in 2006, the rules changed. Now, the First Minister is chosen by the largest political party overall. The Deputy First Minister is chosen by the largest party from the next biggest community group. These groups are usually called "Unionist," "Nationalist," or "Other."
On 3 February 2024, Michelle O'Neill became the First Minister. She is the first Irish nationalist to hold this position. Emma Little-Pengelly from the DUP became the Deputy First Minister at the same time.
Contents
What Do They Do?
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister have equal jobs in the government. They make all their important decisions together. The First Minister often greets important visitors to Northern Ireland. This is similar to leaders in Scotland and Wales.
Their main tasks include:
- Leading meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive together.
- Managing and coordinating the work of the Executive.
- Handling Northern Ireland's relationships with other countries and groups.
They also decide what topics will be discussed at Executive meetings. They can jointly choose "important or debated matters" for the Executive to consider.
Their policy jobs cover areas like:
- How the economy works.
- Making sure everyone is treated fairly by the law.
- Issues related to the European Union.
- Protecting human rights.
- How the government itself is run.
- Rules for appointing people to public jobs.
- Keeping high standards in public life.
Two junior ministers help the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. They work in the Executive Office. These junior ministers report to both the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. Currently, the junior ministers are Aisling Reilly (from Sinn Féin) and Pam Cameron (from the Democratic Unionist Party).
How Are They Chosen?
When the roles were first set up in 1998, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister were chosen together. They needed a special "cross-community vote" from the Northern Ireland Assembly. This was to make sure that leaders from both main groups, unionists and nationalists, worked together.
For this vote, Assembly members were listed as unionist, nationalist, or other. To be chosen, the leaders needed support from:
- Most of the Assembly members voting.
- Most of the unionist members voting.
- Most of the nationalist members voting.
This method was used in 1999 to choose David Trimble and Seamus Mallon.
After the St Andrews Agreement in 2006, the way they were chosen changed. Now:
- The First Minister is chosen by the largest party from the biggest group.
- The Deputy First Minister is chosen by the largest party from the second biggest group.
This new way made it easier for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin to work together. It was used to appoint Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness in 2007. It was also used for Peter Robinson and McGuinness, and later for Arlene Foster and McGuinness. Then, Foster and Michelle O'Neill were appointed this way, and later Paul Givan and O'Neill.
A different rule applies if the largest party overall is not also the largest party of the biggest group. In this case:
- The First Minister is chosen by the largest party overall.
- The Deputy First Minister is chosen by the largest party of the largest group.
This method was first used in 2024. Sinn Féin became the largest party in the Assembly after the 2022 election. However, the unionist parties together were still the largest group.
Today, only the Minister of Justice is chosen by a cross-community vote. Other ministers are chosen by parties using a system called the D'Hondt method.
When the Office is Empty
If the First Minister or Deputy First Minister cannot do their job, another minister can take over for up to six weeks.
The office has been empty a few times:
- First Minister
- Reg Empey acted for David Trimble (July 2001 – November 2001).
- Arlene Foster acted for Peter Robinson (January 2010 – February 2010 and September 2015 – October 2015).
- Deputy First Minister
- John O'Dowd acted for Martin McGuinness (September 2011 – October 2011).
How They Are Called
Names in Irish and Ulster Scots
In the Irish language, the roles are called "Céad-Aire agus an leas Chéad-Aire." These names appear in official documents.
In Ulster Scots dialects, there are a few ways to say it. Some examples are "Heid Männystèr an tha Heid Männystèr depute" or "First Meinister an First Meinister depute."
Capitalisation of "deputy"
Sometimes you see "Deputy" with a capital 'D' and sometimes "deputy" with a small 'd'. This difference does not change their power. The original agreement used a capital 'D'. However, the law that set up the office used a small 'd'.
Some people believe the small 'd' was used to show that the Deputy First Minister has the same power as the First Minister. Even though there was some confusion, it was decided that "deputy First Minister" with a small 'd' should be used in most official writings.
Sometimes, the roles are shortened to FM/dFM.
Other Names for the Deputy First Minister
Sinn Féin sometimes uses "Joint First Minister" or "Co-First Minister" to describe the Deputy First Minister. They do this to show that both leaders work together as equals. For example, Martin McGuinness used "Joint First Minister" in 2009. However, this term is not used in official laws.
History of the Roles
After a vote on the Belfast Agreement in 1998, the Northern Ireland Assembly was created. Its goal was to take over powers from the UK government.
On 1 July 1998, David Trimble (from the UUP) and Seamus Mallon (from the SDLP) were chosen as the first First Minister and Deputy First Minister. On 2 December 1999, they officially took office as joint leaders of the Northern Ireland Executive.
In November 2001, Mark Durkan became Deputy First Minister after Seamus Mallon retired. The government and these two roles were paused several times between 2002 and 2007. This happened because of problems between the political parties. During these times, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland took over their responsibilities.
On 8 May 2007, Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) were appointed. They worked together based on an agreement between their parties.
Paisley decided to step down in 2008. Peter Robinson then became First Minister in June 2008. Later, Arlene Foster took over from Peter Robinson as First Minister in January 2016.
Arlene Foster resigned in June 2021. Paul Givan was then nominated as First Minister by the DUP. Michelle O'Neill was re-nominated as Deputy First Minister by Sinn Féin. However, Givan resigned in February 2022, which meant O'Neill also stopped being Deputy First Minister.
The offices remained empty for a long time. They were vacant from February 2022 until February 2024. This was due to political disagreements. Power-sharing was restored on 3 February 2024. Michelle O'Neill became First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly became Deputy First Minister.
First Ministers and Deputy First Ministers
Parties
Ulster Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin
| First Minister of Northern Ireland | Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland | Government | Elections | ||||||||
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| Name (Birth–Death) Constituency |
Portrait | Term of office | Name (Birth–Death) Constituency |
Portrait | Term of office | ||||||
| David Trimble (1944–2022) Upper Bann |
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1 July 1998 | 1 July 2001 | Seamus Mallon (1936–2020) Newry and Armagh |
.jpg) |
1 July 1998 | 6 November 2001 | First Executive | 1998 | ||
| Reg Empey (b. 1947) Belfast East |
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1 July 2001 (acting) |
6 November 2001 | ||||||||
| David Trimble (1944–2022) Upper Bann |
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6 November 2001 | 14 October 2002 | Mark Durkan (b. 1960) Foyle |
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6 November 2001 | 14 October 2002 | ||||
| Offices vacant (14 October 2002 – 8 May 2007) | |||||||||||
| 2003 | |||||||||||
| Ian Paisley (1926–2014) North Antrim |
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8 May 2007 | 5 June 2008 | Martin McGuinness (1950–2017) Mid Ulster |
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8 May 2007 | 20 September 2011 | Second Executive | 2007 | ||
| Peter Robinson (b. 1948) Belfast East |
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5 June 2008 | 11 January 2010 | ||||||||
| Arlene Foster (b. 1970) Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
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11 January 2010 (acting) |
3 February 2010 | ||||||||
| Peter Robinson (b. 1948) Belfast East |
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3 February 2010 | 10 September 2015 | ||||||||
| John O'Dowd (b. 1967) Upper Bann |
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20 September 2011 (acting) |
31 October 2011 | Third Executive | 2011 | ||||||
| Martin McGuinness (1950–2017) Mid Ulster |
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31 October 2011 | 9 January 2017 | ||||||||
| Arlene Foster (b. 1970) Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
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10 September 2015 (acting) |
20 October 2015 | ||||||||
| Peter Robinson (b. 1948) Belfast East |
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20 October 2015 | 11 January 2016 | ||||||||
| Arlene Foster (b. 1970) Fermanastyle="background:#D46A4C"gh and South Tyrone |
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11 January 2016 | 9 January 2017 | Fourth Executive | 2016 | ||||||
| Offices vacant (9 January 2017 – 11 January 2020) | |||||||||||
| 2017 | |||||||||||
| Arlene Foster (b. 1970) Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
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11 January 2020 | 14 June 2021 | Michelle O'Neill (b. 1977) Mid Ulster |
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11 January 2020 | 14 June 2021 | Fifth Executive | |||
| Paul Givan (b. 1981) Lagan Valley |
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17 June 2021 | 4 February 2022 | 17 June 2021 | 4 February 2022 | ||||||
| Offices vacant (4 February 2022 – 3 February 2024) | |||||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||||
| Michelle O'Neill (b. 1977) Mid Ulster |
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3 February 2024 | Incumbent | Emma Little-Pengelly (b. 1979) Lagan Valley |
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3 February 2024 | Incumbent | Sixth Executive | |||
Direct Rule First Ministers
When the Northern Ireland government was paused, the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland took over the jobs of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
| Name | Portrait | Party | Term start | Term end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Reid |  |
Labour | 14 October 2002 | 24 October 2002 | |
| Paul Murphy |  |
Labour | 24 October 2002 | 6 May 2005 | |
| Peter Hain |  |
Labour | 6 May 2005 | 8 May 2007 | |
See also
- Executive Office
- Junior Minister (Northern Ireland)
- List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies
- List of government ministers in Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Executive
