The Department of Finance (DoF, ,Department of Finance and Personnel – Irish Department of Finance Ulster-Scots: Männystrie o SillerDepartment of Finance and Personnel – Ulster-Scots Department of Finance) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Finance. The incumbent Minister is John O'Dowd.
The department was previously called the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) before its name change on 9 May 2016.
Aim DoF's overall aim is to help the Northern Ireland Executive "secure the most appropriate and effective use of resources and services for the benefit of the community".Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 65
Responsibilities The department is responsible for the following policy areas: finance the Northern Ireland Civil Service land and property building regulation procurement civil law reform civil registration
Some financial matters are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved: Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3 financial services financial markets
In addition, some matters are excepted and were not intended for devolution:Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2 taxation currency
DoF's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are: HM Treasury;HM Treasury: About us the Cabinet Office (on civil service matters);Cabinet Office: About the Cabinet Office the Ministry of Justice (on civil law reform);Ministry of Justice: About us the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (on building regulation);Communities and Local Government: About us HM Land Registry (on land registration).Land Registry: Framework document
In the Irish Government, the main counterparts are: the Department of Finance;Department of Finance: How the Department works the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation; the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (on civil law reform and land registration);Department of Justice: Law ReformDepartment of Justice: Property Registration the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (on building regulation).Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Building Standards
Agencies and public bodies Executive agencies Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) Non-departmental public bodies Civil Service Appeals Board (CSAB) Legal Services Oversight Commissioner for Northern Ireland (LSOC) Northern Ireland Building Regulations Advisory Committee (NIBRAC) Northern Ireland Civil Service Pension Board (NICSPB) Northern Ireland Fiscal Council Statistics Advisory Committee (SAC) Other bodies Land and Property Services (LPS) Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) Procurement Board
History A Ministry of Finance was established on the formation of Northern Ireland in June 1921. A finance ministry also existed in the 1974 Northern Ireland Executive and became known as the Department of Finance and Personnel under direct rule.
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. DFP is therefore one of six direct rule Northern Ireland departments which 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
Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.
Ministers of Finance MinisterImagePartyTook officeLeft office Mark Durkan 29 November 199911 February 2000 Office suspended Mark Durkan 30 May 200013 December 2001Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001 Seán Farren 14 December 200114 October 2002 Office suspended Peter Robinson 14 May 2007 9 June 2008 Nigel Dodds 9 June 2008 1 July 2009 Sammy Wilson 1 July 2009 28 July 2013 Simon Hamilton 29 July 2013 11 May 2015 Arlene Foster 11 May 2015 12 January 2016 Mervyn Storey 13 January 2016 30 March 2016 Office renamed Minister of Finance Máirtín Ó Muilleoir 25 May 2016 2 March 2017 Office suspended Conor Murphy 11 January 2020 27 October 2022 Office suspended Caoimhe Archibald 3 February 2024 3 February 2025 John O'Dowd3 February 2025Incumbent
Direct rule ministers During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:
Adam Ingram (2000) Ian Pearson (2002–05) Lord Rooker (2005–06) David Hanson (2006–07)
See also Committee for Finance NIDirect
References
External links DFP NIDirect