The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is an arm of the United Kingdom government, responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, currently Peter Hain. The NIO, based at Stormont, currently has all responsibility for the direction and control of the Northern Ireland Departments. If and when the power is again devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly the Northern Ireland Executive will assume these responsibilites. The NIO maintains control over various contentious functions whether the Assembly sits or not. Union Flag / Union Jack: Flag of the United Kingdom For more information, see Court of the Lord Lyon, Flags. ... The politics of the United Kingdom are based upon a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... The monarch or Sovereign is the head of state of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... The House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also includes the Sovereign and the House of Lords. ... In the British House of Commons the Speaker of the House of Commons controls the day to day running of the house. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... In British politics, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Ministries, known in the United Kingdom as Government Departments. ... The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots) is the national legislature of Scotland. ... The Scottish Executive (Riaghaltas na h-Alba in Gaelic) is the executive arm of the Scottish Parliament. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following a 1997 referendum in which a small majority of voters (but not the electorate) voted in favour of the Labour Governments plans for devolution. ... The Welsh Assembly Government (or WAG) is the executive body of the National Assembly for Wales — it is comprised of the First Minister and his Cabinet. ... The Northern Ireland Assembly is a 108-member legislative body for Northern Ireland that sits at Stormont with powers devolved to it from the Westminster parliament. ... The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The United Kingdom is divided into four parts, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... The Greater London Authority (GLA) administers the 1579 sq. ... Elections in the United Kingdom gives information on election and election results in the United Kingdom. ... The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 and won by the Labour Party, led by Tony Blair. ... The next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ... Political parties in the United Kingdom lists political parties in the United Kingdom. ... Northern Ireland is one of four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the British cabinet minister who has responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. ... The Right Honourable Peter Gerald Hain (born February 16, 1950) is a British Labour Party politician. ... Stormont is Stormont, a suburb of Belfast Stormont Castle, a castle in the area Parliament Building of Northern Ireland, known as Stormont a nickname for the former Parliament of Northern Ireland and its unionist-dominated executive, the Government of Northern Ireland Stormont County an old county that is now a... The Northern Ireland Assembly is a 108-member legislative body for Northern Ireland that sits at Stormont with powers devolved to it from the Westminster parliament. ... The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

Present rule of Northern Ireland through the NIO in lieu of the Northern Ireland Executive is referred to as direct rule. The Northern Ireland Executive as established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is the (currently suspended) executive body for Northern Ireland, answerable to the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Direct Rule is the term given to the running of the day-to-day administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster. ...

Ministers (and responsibilities where applicable) as of 7th November 2004 November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - The Rt Hon. Peter Hain MP
  • Overall direction and control of the department.
• Minister of State - The Rt. Hon. John Spellar MP
  • Political Development
  • Criminal Justice, Human Rights and Equality
  • Department for Social Development
  • Department for Regional Development
  • Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Part)
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Ian Pearson MP
  • Security and Policing
  • Prisons
  • Assets Recovery Agency and Organised Crime Task Force
  • Review of Public Administration
  • Europe (Euro Preparations Committee)
  • Department of Finance and Personnel
  • Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
  • Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (Part)
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Angela Smith MP
  • Victims and Reconciliation
  • Department of the Environment
  • Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
  • Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Barry Gardiner MP
  • Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
  • Department of Education
  • Department for Employment and Learning

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the British cabinet minister who has responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. ... The Right Honourable Peter Gerald Hain (born February 16, 1950) is a British Labour Party politician. ... Minister of State is a title borne by officials in certain countries governed under the parliamentary system. ... The Right Honourable John Francis Spellar (born 5 August 1947) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... A Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in the United Kingdom government structure, is a minister who is junior to a Minister of State who is then junior to a Secretary of State. ... Ian Phares Pearson (born 5 April 1959) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... A Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in the United Kingdom government structure, is a minister who is junior to a Minister of State who is then junior to a Secretary of State. ... Angela Evans Smith (born 7 January 1959) is a politician in the United Kingdom. ... A Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in the United Kingdom government structure, is a minister who is junior to a Minister of State who is then junior to a Secretary of State. ... Barry Strachan Gardiner (born March 10, 1957) is a British politician, and Labour member of Parliament for Brent North. ...

See also

• Northern Ireland Assembly
• Northern Ireland Executive