Northern Ireland’s devolved government is set to be restored after a two-year hiatus, thanks to the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) decision to end their block on the assembly and executive. This comes after concerns over post-Brexit trade arrangements were raised. An agreement was reached that allowed the DUP to enter the institutions, and new legislation was passed at Westminster. Members of Stormont will gather on Saturday to form a new Northern Ireland Executive. It is expected to include Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance, and the Ulster Unionists, among others.
Stormont refers to the Northern Ireland Assembly based in east Belfast’s Stormont Estate. It was created in 1998 after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the 30 years of armed conflict known as the Troubles. It uses a power-sharing system that has allowed nationalist and unionist parties to share power for the first time in an executive. Stormont covers most matters such as the economy, health, education, justice, and agriculture. However, the UK government in London still reserves some areas, such as international relations and defence.
Once the Speaker is elected, the parties entitled to jointly lead the executive will make their nominations. Sinn Féin will nominate the First Minister, and the DUP will nominate the Deputy First Minister for the first time. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was expected to become the Deputy First Minister, but with Stormont down, he remained at Westminster. Emma Little-Pengelly was later co-opted into his Lagan Valley assembly seat, and no one has been selected to replace her. All executive offices have equal weight, and one minister cannot act without the other.
The newly-formed executive will have plenty to do after a two-year political paralysis. Civil servants will meet their new ministers to provide them with their day-one departmental briefs. Sorting out public sector pay will be at the top of the list, as more than 100,000 public sector workers in Northern Ireland recently staged a mass walkout. The finance minister will need to set a budget for the new financial year in April and settle disputes. The next health minister will also face a range of problems, including grappling with pay and tackling the backlog that has been building up over the past 10 years
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More