Northern Ireland government departments

There are 12 government departments in Northern Ireland; the main role of the departments, and their agencies, is to implement government policy and to advise ministers.

Northern Ireland government departments and ministers

You can find out more about the work of each department and its minister by following the links in the table below to the departmental websites

Departments	Ministers
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM)	First Minister - Rt. Hon Peter D Robinson MLA deputy First Minister - Martin McGuinness MP MLA Junior Ministers - Jonathan Bell MLA and Martina Anderson MLA
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)	Michelle O'Neill MLA
Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL)	Carál Ní Chuilín MLA
Department of Education (DE)	John O'Dowd MLA
Department for Employment and Learning (DEL)	Dr Stephen Farry MLA
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI)	Arlene Foster MLA
Department of the Environment (DOE)	Alex Attwood MLA
Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP)	Sammy Wilson MP MLA
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS)	Edwin Poots MLA
Department of Justice (DOJ)	David Ford MLA
Department for Regional Development (DRD)	Danny Kennedy MLA
Department for Social Development (DSD)	Nelson McCausland MLA

Executive agencies

An executive agency is a public institution that delivers government services for the Northern Ireland Executive. An agency does not set the policy required to carry out its functions - these are determined by the department that oversees the agency. For example, the Social Security Agency is an executive agency and part of the Department for Social Development.

Agencies are headed by chief executives, who are personally responsible for day-to-day operations. They are normally directly accountable to the responsible minister, who in turn is accountable to the Assembly.

Non-departmental public bodies

A non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a national or regional public body, working independently of ministers to whom they are nevertheless accountable. They are not staffed by civil servants. There are two main types of NDPB.

Executive NDPBs are those with executive, administrative, commercial or regulatory functions. They carry out set functions within a government framework, but the degree of operational independence varies. Examples include the Housing Executive, Sport NI and the Consumer Council.

Advisory NDPBs are those set up by ministers to advise them and their departments on particular matters. Examples include the Historic Buildings Council, the Historic Monuments Council and the Older Peoples Advocate.

Staffing, finance and organisation

Departments and agencies are staffed by politically impartial civil servants and are funded by the Assembly. They work with local authorities, non-departmental public bodies, and other government-sponsored organisations.

The structure and functions of departments are sometimes reorganised if there are major changes in government policy. A change of government, however, does not necessarily affect the functions of departments.

Northern Ireland government departments