Department of Finance (Northern Ireland)
The Department of Finance is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Finance. The incumbent Minister is John O'Dowd.
The department was previously called the Department of Finance and Personnel before its name change on 9 May 2016.
Aim
DoF's overall aim is to help the Northern Ireland Executive "secure the most appropriate and effective use of resources and services for the benefit of the community".Responsibilities
The department is responsible for the following policy areas:- finance
- the Northern Ireland Civil Service
- land and property
- building regulation
- procurement
- civil law reform
- civil registration
In addition, some matters are excepted and were not intended for devolution:
- taxation
- currency
- HM Treasury;
- the Cabinet Office ;
- the Ministry of Justice ;
- the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ;
- HM Land Registry.
- the Department of Finance;
- the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation;
- the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration ;
- the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Agencies and public bodies
[Executive agencies]
[Non-departmental public bodies]
- Civil Service Appeals Board
- Legal Services Oversight Commissioner for Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Building Regulations Advisory Committee
- Northern Ireland Civil Service Pension Board
- Northern Ireland Fiscal Council
- Statistics Advisory Committee
Other bodies
- Land and Property Services
- * Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland
- Procurement Board
History
A Ministry of Finance was established on the formation of Northern Ireland in June 1921. A finance ministry also existed in the 1974 Northern Ireland Executive and became known as the Department of Finance and Personnel under direct rule.Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement 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. DFP is therefore one of six direct rule Northern Ireland departments which continued in existence after devolution 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:
- between 12 February 2000 and 30 May 2000;
- on 11 August 2001;
- on 22 September 2001;
- between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007.