- Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
matters.
Under the Act the Executive Committee consisted of the ministers appointed by the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to head departments of state. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/goi231220.htm#8 Government of Ireland Act, Section 8(4) (reproduced at University of Ulster web-site)] ] Ministers so chosen did not have to be members of theParliament of Northern Ireland but were required to become members within six months. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/goi231220.htm#8 Section 8(4)(b)] ]A subsequent amendment to the Act, which came into force in 1922, replaced the Lord Lieutenant with a new crown representative, the
Governor of Northern Ireland .As with most Westminster style systems, the "Government of Ireland Act, 1920" never provided for such an office, but in practice the Executive Committee was headed by a
Prime Minister of Northern Ireland . In theory the Executive Committee was not answerable to the House of Commons but held their positions "during the pleasure of the Lord Lieutenant". [8.4.(c)] In practice the Executive Committee was answerable to the electedHouse of Commons of Northern Ireland .Thus the Executive Committee stood in a similar relationship to the legislature and Crown (within devolved Northern Ireland) as the UK's Cabinet does to the Crown and Westminster Parliament (in respect of the UK as a whole). The Northern Ireland Cabinet thus played a fairly equivalent constitutional role to the UK Cabinet. Similar systems are in place in
Canada ,Australia andNew Zealand .The system of government created by the "Government of Ireland Act, 1920" was first prorogued in 1972 and then abolished by the
Government of the United Kingdom under theNorthern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 in 1973.The Executive Committee was based in the
Stormont Parliament Buildings and the nearbyStormont Castle , whilst the Governor resided atHillsborough Castle . Original plans to build a separate executive building were abandoned in the 1920s as a result of the economic difficulties that resulted from theWall Street Crash .Cabinets
*
Craigavon ministry - led byJames Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon - 1922-40.
*Andrews ministry - led byJohn Miller Andrews - 1940-43.
*Brookeborough ministry - led byBasil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough - 1943-63.
*O'Neill ministry - led byTerence O'Neill - 1963-69.
*Chichester-Clark ministry - led byJames Chichester-Clark - 1969-71.
*Faulkner ministry - led byBrian Faulkner - 1971-72.References
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