Overview: New Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive 31/05/16 STATE OF THE PARTIES 1. To a large extent, the 2016 Assembly election was a case of ‘as you were’. The DUP and Sinn Féin were returned as the two largest parties, and further cemented their positions as the dominant players within unionism and nationalism respectively. The UUP and Alliance Party didn’t live up to pre-election expectations – failing to increase the number of seats they won in 2011 – while the SDLP had a disappointing cycle and lost two seats (Deputy Leader Fearghal McKinney and senior party figure Dolores Kelly). State of the NI Assembly parties 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Party 2011 Assembly seats 2016 Assembly seats +/- DUP 38 38 0 Sinn Féin 29 28 -1 UUP 16 16 0 SDLP 14 12 -2 Alliance Party 8 8 0 People Before Profit 0 2 +2 TUV 1 1 0 Green Party 1 2 +1 Independent (Unionist) 1 1 0 1 NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE 2. The D’Hondt system was run on 25 May 2016, resulting in the following Ministerial appointments: Department Minister(s) Staff Malcolm McKibbin Permanent Secretary Stephen Grimason Telephone Director - Executive Information Service, British/Irish/International 028 9052 8400 Relations, Executive Support and Arlene Foster (FM) North South Ministerial Council Responsibilities (DUP, Fermanagh & South Tyrone) Social change Mark Browne Strategic investment and regeneration Director - Strategic Policy, Co-operation (e.g. European policy, Finance, Equality and Good North/South) Relations Equality and good relations Making government work (e.g. PfG, Budgets) Promoting Northern Ireland (e.g. trade missions) Statistics and research Honours Martin McGuinness (deputy FM) (Sinn Féin, Foyle) Alastair Ross (Junior Minister) (DUP, East Antrim) Megan Fearon (Junior Minister) (Sinn Féin, Newry & Armagh) 2 Noel Lavery Permanent Secretary Robert Huey Telephone Chief Veterinary Officer - Veterinary Services and Animal 0300 200 7850 Health Group Responsibilities David Small Deputy Secretary - Environment, Waste Michelle McIlveen Pollution Fisheries and Marine Group (DUP, Strangford) Biodiversity Chief Executive, NI Environment Marine Agency Countryside management Education and research Louise Warde-Hunter Food Head of Central Services and Grants and funding Rural Affairs Group Plant and tree health Statistics Rural development Livestock farming Forestry Fisheries Crops and horticulture Animal health and welfare Environmental protection Land and landscapes Angling Water 3 Leo O’Reilly Permanent Secretary Andrew Hamilton Telephone Deputy Secretary - Strategic Policy and Resources Group 028 9082 9000 Responsibilities Paul Givan Tracy Meharg Housing (DUP, Lagan Valley) Urban regeneration Deputy Secretary - Community and Regeneration Housing Sport Benefits and pensions Ian Maye Finding employment Arts and culture Deputy Secretary - Community Cohesion, Culture and Sport Museums and libraries Support for children Tommy O’Reilly Historic environment (e.g. built heritage) Deputy Secretary - Working Age Voluntary and community policy Language policy Local government Denis McMahon Public Record Office Deputy Secretary - Social Inclusion Andrew McCormick Permanent Secretary Derek Baker Deputy Secretary - Strategic Policy Telephone Group 028 9025 7777 Eugene Rooney Simon Hamilton Deputy Secretary - Operational Responsibilities Policy Group (DUP, Strangford) Economic policy (e.g. economic strategy, regulation, access to finances) Chris Stewart Energy Deputy Secretary - Economic Higher education Infrastructure and Regulation Further education Group Consumer affairs Telecoms Heather Cousins Insolvency service Deputy Secretary - Corporate Credit unions/societies Services Group Minerals and petroleum Tourism European Fund management Employment rights Employment and skills programmes (e.g. apprenticeships) 4 Paul Sweeney Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey Deputy Secretary - Education & Children’s Services Policy Telephone Fiona Hepper 028 9127 9279 Peter Weir Deputy Secretary - Resources, Reform and Infrastructure Responsibilities (DUP, North Down) Curriculum and learning John Smith Teaching staff Deputy Secretary - Strule Shared Schools and infrastructure Education Campus Pupils and parents Non-teaching staff Noelle Buick Support and development Chief Inspector - Education & Training Inspectorate David Sterling Permanent Secretary Brigitte Worth Finance Director Telephone 028 9185 8111 Máirtín Ó Muilleoir Michael Brennan (Sinn Fein, South Belfast) Responsibilities Head of Public Expenditure Directorate Finance (e.g. NI budget, public finances) Procurement Property rating Land registration Colin Sullivan Building regulations (incl. energy Director of Strategic Policy and efficiency) Reform NI Civil Service Property valuation Anne Breen Mapping Director of Human Resources and Civil law reform Corporate Services Public sector reform 5 Richard Pengelly Permanent Secretary Michael McBride Chief Medical Officer Charlotte Ardle Telephone Chief Nursing Officer 028 9052 0500 Michelle O’Neill Mark Timoney (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster) Responsibilities Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Health policy Public health policy Deborah McNeilly Pharmacy Deputy Secretary - Healthcare Mental health and learning disabilities Policy Nursing and allied health professionals Records management Julie Thompson Dentistry Deputy Secretary - Resources and Finance and procurement Performance Management Health workforce policy and management Sean Holland Governance in HSC Deputy Secretary - Social Policy Safety and quality standards Social services Peter May Permanent Secretary Fiona McCandless Deputy Secretary, Planning, Water and Driver & Vehicle Telephone Agency 028 9054 0540 Chris Hazzard MLA John McGrath Responsibilities Deputy Secretary, Transport and (Sinn Féin, South Down) Roads/road improvement Resources Transport initiatives Andrew Murray Public transport Waterways Deputy Secretary, Road and Sustainable transport policy Rivers TransportNI procurement Road users (e.g. road safety, licensing) Water and sewerage services Rivers and flooding Planning Regional development Ports 6 Carol Ramsey Director of Strategic Planning Angus Kerr Director of Planning Policy Nick Perry Telephone Permanent Secretary 028 9076 3000 Claire Sugden MLA Lianne Patterson (Independent Unionist, East Responsibilities Londonderry) Director of Justice Delivery Justice and the law David Lavery Prisons Forensic science Director of Access to Justice Legal aid Youth justice Anthony Harbinson Policing and community safety Director of Safer Communities Sue McAllister Director General of Northern Ireland Prison Service 3. The Private Secretaries and Special Advisers to the Ministers have yet to be confirmed. 4. Both the UUP and SDLP declined to take the Executive Ministry they were respectively entitled to, opting to form an Official Opposition in the Assembly instead. 5. The Alliance Party, while not automatically entitled to an Executive portfolio after only returning 8 MLAs in the Assembly election, were originally offered the Justice Department. The party declined the offer when a list of policy demands it attached to its decision weren’t met by the DUP and Sinn Féin. 7 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES 6. On 25 May, D’hondt was used to allocate Assembly Committee Chair and Deputy Chair positions. Committee Chair Deputy Chair Clerk Executive Office Mike Nesbitt Sandra Overend Katy O’Hanlon (UUP, Strangford) (UUP, Mid Ulster) 028 9052 0302 Health Paula Bradley Gary Middleton Ellis Haughey (DUP, North Belfast) (DUP, Foyle) 028 9052 0348 Economy Conor Murphy Stephen Aiken Peter Hall (Sinn Féin, Newry & (UUP, South Antrim) 028 9052 1799 Armagh) Finance Emma Pengelly Claire Hanna Jim McManus (DUP, South Belfast) (SDLP, South Belfast) 028 9052 1230 Infrastructure William Humphrey William Irwin Cathie White (DUP, North Belfast) (DUP, Newry & Armagh) 028 9052 1448 Communities Colum Eastwood Michelle Gildernew Kevin Pelan (SDLP, Foyle) (Sinn Féin, Fermanagh & 028 9052 1864 South Tyrone) Education Barry McElduff Chris Lyttle Peter McCallion (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone) (Alliance Party, East Belfast) 028 9052 1821 Agriculture, Environment & Linda Dillon Caoimhe Archibald Stella McCardle Rural Affairs (Sinn Féin, Mid Ulster) (Sinn Féin, East 028 9052 1475 Londonderry) Justice Paul Frew Pam Cameron Christine Darrah (DUP, North Antrim) (DUP, South Antrim) 028 9052 1629 Public Accounts Robin Swann Daniel McCrossan Lucia Wilson (UUP, North Antrim) (SDLP, West Tyrone) 028 9052 1208 Assembly and Executive Christopher Stalford Michaela Boyle Shane McAteer Review (DUP, South Belfast) (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone) 028 9052 1735 Audit Declan McAleer Kellie Armstrong Shane McAteer (Sinn Féin, West Tyrone) (Alliance, Strangford) 028 9052 1843 Business Robin Newton - Alex McGarel (DUP, East Belfast) 028 9052 1534 Standards and Privileges Cathal Boylan Adrian McQuillan Shane McAteer (Sinn Féin, Newry and (DUP, East Londonderry) 028 9052 1843 Armagh) Procedures Gordon Lyons Edwin Poots Alison Ross (DUP, East Antrim) (DUP, Lagan Valley) 028 9052 1436 8 .