Junior_Minister_(Northern_Ireland)

Junior Minister (Northern Ireland)

Junior Minister (Northern Ireland)

The name given to two positions in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister

The term Junior Minister, in Northern Ireland, is the name given to two positions in the Executive Office, a department in the Northern Ireland Executive answerable to the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

Pam Cameron is the incumbent Junior Minister of Northern Ireland.

The positions have been filled by Aisling Reilly and Pam Cameron since 3 February 2024.

Under the Northern Ireland Act 1998,[1] the First Minister and Deputy First Minister acting jointly may determine that a number of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly shall be appointed as junior ministers.

The salary of each junior minister in 2007–2008 (when devolution was restored) was £60,067.42,[2] which decreased to the current level of £55,000.00 in 2016.[3][4][5]

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) called for the immediate abolition of the junior minister positions in its 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election manifesto.[6]

Junior Ministers

Nominated by the First Minister

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Nominated by the Deputy First Minister

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Assembly Private Secretary

Following the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness announced the creation of the new post of Assembly Private Secretary, available to all ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.

The position is similar to that of a parliamentary private secretary in the House of Commons, providing political support to the Minister within the department. It is non-salaried and held by a backbencher from the same party as the Minister. While not ministerial, and therefore below the rank of Junior Minister, it provides experience to members considered as potential future ministers. It is not compulsory to appoint an Assembly Private Secretary; indeed the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland initially did not make appointments.

As of May 2011, OFMDFM officials were drawing up a code of conduct and enabling processes to facilitate the creation of the posts.[9] None had been published by October 2011, meaning that the posts had not been created by the Northern Ireland Assembly up to that point. However, they were declared as public offices in the register of members' interests on 29 June 2011 and 7 October 2011.[10][11]

The prospective Assembly Private Secretaries are:

Democratic Unionist Party [12]

Sinn Féin[13]

Sinn Féin has adopted the term Parliamentary Under Secretary to describe the position.

Ulster Unionist Party[14]

Social Democratic and Labour Party[15]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Section 19, Northern Ireland Act 1998
  2. [2]
    Members' Salaries 2007–2008, Northern Ireland Assembly
  3. [3]
    Members' Salaries 2008–2009, Northern Ireland Assembly
  4. [4]
    Members' Salaries 2009–2010, Northern Ireland Assembly
  5. [5]
    Members' Salaries 2010–2011, Northern Ireland Assembly Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. [6]
    SDLP Manifesto: Assembly & Local Government Elections 2011 (PDF). Belfast: SDLP. 2011. p. 52.
  7. [7]
    Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001
  8. [8]
    Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001
  9. [9]
    "Assembly Private Secretaries to be appointed to Government departments". Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  10. [10]
    "Register of Members' Interests (last updated 29 June 2011)". Northern Ireland Assembly. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  11. [11]
    "Register of Members' Interests (last updated 7 October 2011)". Northern Ireland Assembly. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  12. [12]
    "DUP Leader outlines new DUP team at Stormont". DUP. May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  13. [13]
    "Gerry Adams announces Sinn Féin Ministerial team". Sinn Féin. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  14. [14]
    "Kinahan welcomes appointment as Assembly Private Secretary". UUP. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  15. [15]
    "Councillor Colum Eastwood MLA". SDLP. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
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