Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)

The Department of the Environment (DOE or DOENI; ; (page 30) Ulster-Scots: Männystrie o tha Kintraside) was a devolved Northern Irish government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The Minister for the Environment was overall responsible for the department.

Aim The DOE's overall aim was to "work in partnership" with the public, private and voluntary sectors to promote the "economic and social welfare of the community" through "promoting sustainable development and seeking to secure a better and safer environment for everyone".Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 80

The last Minister was Mark H. Durkan (Social Democratic and Labour Party). Northern Ireland Executive

Responsibilities The main policy responsibilities of the department were:DOE: About us the natural environment the built environment land use planning road safety regulation of drivers, vehicles and vehicle operators local government

The DOE's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government were: the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra);Defra: About Defra the Department for Communities and Local Government;Communities and Local Government: About us the Department for Transport;Department for Transport: About us the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (on built heritage).DCMS: Historic environment

In the Irish Government, its main counterparts were: the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Roads

History

The Ministry of Home Affairs was established on the formation of Northern Ireland in June 1921 and was responsible for a range of non-economic domestic matters, including local government. A separate Ministry of Health and Local Government was formed in 1944 and split in 1965 to create the Ministry of Development. An environment ministry existed in the 1974 Northern Ireland Executive, and the ministry was known as the Department of the Environment under direct rule.

The DoE is still used in everyday language in Northern Ireland to describe the Roads Service, which was once run by the department but is currently an agency of the separate Department for Regional Development.

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. DoE was one of the six direct rule Northern Ireland departments that 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 2000Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000 and 30 May 2000;Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000 on 11 August 2001;Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001 on 22 September 2001;Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001 between 15 October 2002Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002 and 8 May 2007.Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007

Ministers of the Environment MinisterImagePartyTook officeLeft office Sam Foster 29 November 1999 11 February 2000 Office suspended Sam Foster 30 May 2000 20 February 2002Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001 Dermot Nesbitt 20 February 2002 14 October 2002 Office suspended Arlene Foster 8 May 2007 9 June 2008 Sammy Wilson 9 June 2008 2 July 2009 Edwin Poots 3 July 2009 4 May 2011 Alex Attwood 16 May 2011 15 July 2013 Mark H. Durkan 16 July 2013 30 March 2016 Office and department abolished

Direct rule ministers During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:

George Howarth (2000) Angela Smith (2002–05) Lord Rooker (2005–06) David Cairns (2006–07)

Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)

Bron en licentie