Executive of the 1st Northern Ireland Assembly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Executive of the 1st Northern Ireland Assembly
1st Executive of Northern Ireland
Date formed	1 July 1998
Date dissolved	14 October 2002
People and organisations
Head of state	Elizabeth II
Head of government	David Trimble (1998–July 01; Nov. 01–02) Reg Empey (July 01–Nov. 01)
Deputy head of government	Seamus Mallon (1998–01) Mark Durkan (2001–02)
No. of ministers	10
Member party	UUP SDLP DUP Sinn Féin
Status in legislature	Power–Sharing Coalition 90 / 108 (83%)
History
Election(s)	1998 assembly election
Legislature term(s)	1st Assembly
Predecessor	1974 Executive of Northern Ireland Direct rule (1974–98)
Successor	Executive of the 2nd Assembly (Direct rule)

The Executive of the 1st Northern Ireland Assembly was the government of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002. It was a special type of government called a power-sharing coalition. This means that different political parties, even those with very different ideas, worked together to run the country.

This government was formed after the first election for the new Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. The Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and Sinn Féin all joined to form this executive. However, the Democratic Unionist Party chose not to attend meetings at first. They were protesting against Sinn Féin being part of the government.

What is the Northern Ireland Executive?

The Northern Ireland Executive is like the main team that runs the government in Northern Ireland. It's made up of ministers from different political parties. These ministers are in charge of different departments, like education or health. Their job is to make decisions and carry out laws for the people of Northern Ireland.

When did the Executive get its powers?

The Executive officially received its full powers on 2 December 1999. This process is called devolution. It means that the power to make decisions for Northern Ireland was transferred from the UK government in London to the new government in Belfast.

Why was the Executive suspended?

The Executive's powers were temporarily taken away four times by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This happened when there were big disagreements or problems that stopped the government from working properly.

• The first time was for three months, from February to May 2000. This was because some groups had not given up their weapons, which was a key part of the peace agreement.
• The next two times were for just 24 hours each. One was in August 2001 to help with talks about weapons. The other was in September 2001 after a difficult local dispute.
• The final suspension happened on 14 October 2002. This was due to serious concerns about trust and security within the government buildings. After this, the Executive did not get its powers back until much later.

Key Leaders of the 1st Executive

The two most important leaders in the Executive were the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. They had to work together to lead the government.

Changes to the Leadership

The leaders of the Executive changed a few times during its term.

• In July 2001, David Trimble stepped down as First Minister for a short time. Reg Empey took over as acting First Minister.
• In November 2001, David Trimble returned as First Minister.
• At the same time, Mark Durkan became the new Deputy First Minister, taking over from Seamus Mallon.

These changes show how different leaders took on important roles during this period of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

See also

• List of Northern Ireland Executives
• Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007