Civil Service
The Northern Ireland Civil Service was established separately from the British Civil Service when the Northern Ireland Parliament was founded. Additionally, UK Civil Service Departments have branches in Northern Ireland that deal with reserved matters excluded from the Northern Ireland Assembly’s jurisdiction.
The Civil Service’s structure aligns with various Northern Ireland Departments. For details on Northern Ireland departments and their respective areas, refer to our dedicated chapter.
Before devolution, there were six departments associated with the Northern Ireland Office, along with various subdivisions and junior ministers.
Each Minister heads a Department. Assembly committees play roles related to each department, assisting and advising Northern Ireland ministers on policy and other matters.
Local government in Northern Ireland holds less authority compared to Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland. Many functions managed at the local government level in those jurisdictions are handled by departments or separate entities in Northern Ireland.
Before the recreation of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the following departments were associated with the Northern Ireland Office:
- Finance and Personnel
- Economic Development
- Agriculture
- Health and Social Services
- Environment
- Education
Under the current organization, the departments are:
- Office of the Minister and Deputy First Minister, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (UK Cabinet)
- Finance and Personnel
- Employment and Learning
- Education
- Culture, Art, and Leisure
- Environment
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Health, Social Services, and Public Safety
- Social Development
- Regional Development
- Enterprise, Trade, and Investment
- Justice
Apart from these, several non-governmental bodies hold significant responsibilities in areas such as roads and planning. The current lineup of departments has been criticized for its incoherence.
The public sector employs over 30% of Northern Ireland’s workforce.
The Civil Service is categorized into non-industrial and industrial sectors. The principal grades are:
- Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Officer
- Executive Officer 2
- Executive Officer 1
- Staff Officer
- Deputy Principal
- Principal
- Senior Principal
- Assistant Secretary
- Deputy Secretary
- Permanent Secretary
- Head of Civil Service
Civil servants across all grades are obligated to uphold ethics relating to impartiality, honesty, and objectivity. They are accountable to ministers and must appear before departmental committees to respond to questions.
Appointments are primarily based on open competition. Integrity in public service demands obligations to public interest, honesty, truthfulness, and open-mindedness. Impartiality involves acting solely on the case’s merits, serving governments of various political persuasions equally well.
Northern Ireland’s expenditure is funded from four sources:
- UK Treasury allocations
- Rates (regional and local)
- Borrowing (subject to annual limits set by the Northern Ireland executive and government)
Taxes collected in Northern Ireland go directly to the UK central sources, yet criticism arises due to central funding exceeding taxation contributions to the UK treasury. Over 90% of the expenditure is from the UK Treasury with 5-6% from regional rates. Health and education represent 47% and 22%, respectively, of the annual budget.
The Northern Ireland executive has adopted a program for government outlining policies and budgets reviewed annually for three years forward. This program specifies goals, targets, and priorities.
The objectives prioritize:
- High-quality public services
- Environmental promotion and protection
- Tolerance, inclusion, and well-being
- Investment in infrastructure
Equally important are objectives related to equality, fairness, inclusion promotion, sustainable economic and environmental policies.
Each department implements the program through public service agreements, providing measurements for targets and compliance.
Targets may be specified in terms of population-based results or the delivery of specific services. Monitoring and reporting compliance against these targets occur regularly.
During direct rule, health, education, and housing were vested in non-departmental bodies.
Assembly statutory committees undertake policy development, consultation, and legislation development for relevant departments.
Additionally, there’s a significant number of non-governmental organizations contributing to various sectors.
The review of public administration (2009) followed several interim reports, including the 2006 document proposing better government for Northern Ireland. Among the proposals were the reduction of county councils and the transfer of new functions to local government, including planning, rural development, certain aspects of public roads, urban regeneration, community development, economic development, and tourism.
The health system saw changes, including the establishment of health trusts and bodies like the Health and Social Care Board, Public Health Agency, Business Service Organization, Patient, and Client Council.
In education, a new Educational and Skills Authority replaced previous bodies, including library boards. Library authorities were established in 2009 for educational responsibilities.
The 2004 Fit for Purpose Reform Agenda aimed to examine the framework for providing public services in the Northern Ireland civil service.
NI Direct serves as a single government portal, consolidating access to various public services.