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 | 1998 assembly election |
| Legislature term | 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 (1 July 1998 – 14 October 2002) was, under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, a power-sharing coalition.
Following the first election to the new Northern Ireland Assembly the Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Sinn Féin all took up their ministerial posts and formed an executive, the Democratic Unionist Party refused to attend meetings of the executive committee in protest at Sinn Féin's participation.[1]
Full power was devolved to the Executive on 2 December 1999.[2] This power was revoked by the Secretary of State on four separate occasions. The first was for a period of 3 months from 11 February 2000 – 30 May 2000 because of no arms decommissioning.[3] The next two times were for periods of 24 hours on 10 August 2001 to help deal with arms negotiations[4] and 21 September 2001 following the Holy Cross dispute.[5] The final suspension came on 14 October 2002 after the Stormontgate controversy surrounding an alleged Provisional Irish Republican Army spy ring based in Stormont.[6]
- ^ McKittrick, David (19 December 1998). "First Ulster terrorists hand in guns". The Independent. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
He was, however, accused of selling out by the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party, which said yesterday's agreement would pave the way for Sinn Fein to take its seats in a new executive without IRA arms decommissioning.
- ^ "Devolved government gets down to business". The Guardian. 2 December 1999. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
The move came after a day of carefully choreographed events in Belfast and Dublin bringing devolution to the province and altering the relationship between Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and Britain.
- ^ "Assembly was suspended four times in rows over IRA". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 10 September 2015. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
February 2000 - Secretary of State Peter Mandelson suspends the Assembly after the UUP/SDLP led Executive fails to strike a deal on IRA decommissioning. The institutions are restored in May after the IRA pledges to "completely and verifiably" put its arsenal beyond use.
- ^ Left, Sarah (10 August 2001). "Northern Ireland assembly suspended | Northern Ireland | The Guardian". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "CNN.com - N. Ireland assembly suspended - September 21, 2001". edition.cnn.com. 21 September 2001. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Breen, Suzanne; Hennessy, Mark (14 October 2002). "Reid to announce suspension of Executive - The Irish Times". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 February 2024.