First Minister and deputy First Minister - wikipedia First Minister and deputy First Minister The lowercase `` d '' of `` deputy '' in the title and elsewhere is deliberate ; see below. `` First Minister of Northern Ireland '' redirects here. It is not to be confused with Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Chéad - Aire agus an LeasChéad - Aire Thuaisceart Éireann Heid Männystèr an tha Heid Männystèr depute Incumbent Positions vacant since 9 January 2017 Appointer Northern Ireland Assembly Term length At the discretion of the single largest party in each of the two largest community designations within the Northern Ireland Assembly Inaugural holder David Trimble Seamus Mallon Formation 1 July 1998 Salary £ 120,000 each ( includes MLA salary ) Website www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk The First Minister and deputy First Minister ( Irish : Chéad - Aire agus an LeasChéad - Aire Thuaisceart Éireann ) are the joint heads of the Northern Ireland Executive and have overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. The two positions have the same governmental power, resulting in a duumvirate ; despite the name, the deputy First Minister is not subordinate to the First Minister. Created under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, both were initially nominated and appointed by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on a joint ticket by a cross-community vote, using consociational principles. That process was changed following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, meaning that the First Minister and deputy First Minister are now nominated separately by the largest parties in each of the two largest community designations in the assembly. Contents 1 Responsibilities 2 Election 3 Vacancy 4 Terminology 4.1 Titles in Irish 4.2 Titles in Ulster Scots 4.3 Capitalisation of `` deputy '' 4.4 `` Joint First Minister '' and `` Co-First Minister '' 5 History 6 First Ministers and deputy First Ministers 6.1 Direct Rule First Ministers 7 Living Former First Ministers and deputy First Ministers 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Responsibilities Northern Ireland This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Northern Ireland Executive Executive Committee First Minister Vacant deputy First Minister Vacant Civil Service Government departments Lowercase `` d '' per here. Assembly Speaker Robin Newton MLA Acts Committees Statutory rules Members ( MLA ) Law Supreme Court ( UK ) Courts of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland in the UK Her Majesty 's Government Northern Ireland Office Secretary of State Rt. Hon. James Brokenshire MP Parliament of the United Kingdom Direct rule Grand Committee Select Committee Elections Current MPs for Westminster Northern Ireland in the EU European Parliament elections Constituency Local government Administrative divisions Counties Districts Other countries Atlas The First Minister and deputy First Minister share equal responsibilities within government, and their decisions are made jointly. The First Minister is, though, the first to greet official visitors to Northern Ireland and shares the same title as their counterparts in Scotland and Wales. Specifically, they are tasked with co-chairing meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive, `` dealing with and co-ordinating '' the work of the Executive, and the response of the administration to external relationships. The First Minister and deputy First Minister agree the agenda of Executive meetings and can jointly determine `` significant or controversial matters '' to be considered by the Executive. The ministers ' policy responsibilities include : economic policy equality before the law European Union issues human rights the machinery of government ( including the Ministerial Code ) public appointments policy standards in public life Two junior ministers assist the First Minister and deputy First Minister in carrying out the work of OFMDFM. They are jointly accountable to the First Minister and deputy First Minister. The incumbent junior ministers are Jonathan Bell ( Democratic Unionist Party ) and Jennifer McCann ( Sinn Féin ). Election As originally established under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the First Minister was elected by the Assembly on a joint ticket with the deputy First Minister through a cross-community vote. It was created to enable the leaders of the main unionist and nationalist parties to work together, with guaranteed joint representation of both main communities. For the purposes of a cross-community vote, MLAs were designated as unionist, nationalist or other. The nominees for First Minister and deputy First Minister required the support of : a majority of the members voting in the election ; a majority of the designated unionists voting ; and a majority of the designated nationalists voting. This procedure was used on 2 December 1999 to elect David Trimble ( Ulster Unionist Party, UUP ) and Seamus Mallon ( Social Democratic and Labour Party, SDLP ). Following several suspensions of the Northern Ireland Executive, Trimble was not re-elected on 2 November 2001 due to unionist opposition. He was subsequently re-elected alongside Mark Durkan ( SDLP ) on 6 November 2001 ; on that occasion, three Alliance Party of Northern Ireland members redesignated from ' other ' to ' unionist ' to support Trimble 's nomination. Following the St Andrews Agreement in October 2006, this procedure was changed to allow for : a First Minister nominated by the largest party of the largest designation ; a deputy First Minister nominated by the largest party of the second largest designation. This procedure, which removed the need for a joint ticket between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, was used to appoint Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness on 8 May 2007. It was again used to appoint Peter Robinson ( DUP ) alongside Martin McGuinness on 5 June 2008 and again on 12 May 2011 ; and to appoint Arlene Foster ( DUP ) alongside Martin McGuinness on 11 January 2016. However, if the largest party of the largest designation ( currently the DUP ) were not the largest party overall, the appointment procedure would be as follows : a First Minister nominated by the largest party ; a deputy First Minister nominated by the largest party of the largest designation. The Minister of Justice is now the only Northern Ireland Executive Minister elected on a cross-community vote. All other ministers are party appointees. Vacancy The First Minister or deputy First Minister may also appoint another Northern Ireland Executive Minister to exercise the functions of the office during a vacancy ; currently for a continuous period up to six weeks. Vacancies have occurred on four occasions to date : First Minister Sir Reg Empey for David Trimble ( 1 July 2001 -- 6 November 2001 ) Arlene Foster for Peter Robinson ( 11 January 2010 -- 3 February 2010 ) Arlene Foster for Peter Robinson ( 10 September 2015 -- 20 October 2015 ) deputy First Minister John O'Dowd for Martin McGuinness ( 20 September 2011 -- 31 October 2011 ) Terminology Titles in Irish In the Irish language, the literal translation of these positions is `` Céad - Aire agus an leas Chéad - Aire ''. The titles appear in both English and Irish in published literature by the North - South Ministerial Council, one of the `` mutually inter-dependent '' institutions laid out in the Good Friday Agreement, along with the Northern Ireland Assembly. Titles in Ulster Scots Various ways of translating the titles `` First Minister and deputy First Minister '' into the Ulster Scots dialects have been attested in official communications, including Heid Männystèr an tha Heid Männystèr depute, First Meinister an First Meinister depute, First Meenister an First Meenister depute and First Minister an First Minister depute. Capitalisation of `` deputy '' The second position has been spelt `` Deputy '' or `` deputy '' First Minister, due to differing preferences by civil servants ( and potentially ministers ), although the spelling of the title has no constitutional consequences in practice. The first two holders of the office, Seamus Mallon and Mark Durkan, were both referred to during their periods of office as `` Deputy First Minister '', with a capital D. In the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, which established the executive in Northern Ireland, the two positions are spelt `` First Minister and Deputy First Minister '' ( with a capital D ). This was also adopted in 1999 for the logo of the OFMDFM. Several weeks after Martin McGuinness took up office as Deputy First Minister in 2007, civil servants in his department began asking the Assembly 's Hansard team to replace the capital D with a lower - case d, pointing out that the title was spelled this way in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the legislation which established the office. Some believe that the case was changed to highlight the fact that the position holds the same power as the position of First Minister, but a spokesman for McGuinness said that neither McGuinness nor his advisers had asked for the change. Speaker William Hay ordered the change and the capital D was dropped from Hansard references. Officials edited the department 's archive of press releases to make that change ( despite its use by Mallon and Durkan when in office ) but the capital D still appears in some places, and a spokesman confirmed on 20 March 2008 that the office had `` no plans '' to change the OFMDFM logo. However, the Assembly committee that scrutinises their work is now listed as the `` Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister ''. Ultimately it was decided that McGuinness should be the deputy First Minister, unless all the other letters in the title are in capitals. Confusion is n't completely resolved however ; if McGuinness writes to the Assembly committee that scrutinises his work, his note will have a letterhead that comes from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, but he 'll get a reply back from the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. In official language, the positions are sometimes abbreviated to FM / dFM, `` Joint First Minister '' and `` Co-First Minister '' Sinn Féin started using the phrases Joint First Minister and Co-First Minister in 2009 to describe the deputy First Minister to highlight the fact that the First Minister and deputy First Minister operated in tandem. Martin McGuinness used the term Joint First Minister himself when he arrived for a meeting of the North / South Ministerial Council in February 2009 ; the DUP denounced the term as `` republican speak '' and it is not used in legislation. Jim Allister, the leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice, has long been calling Robinson and McGuinness `` the joint first ministers '', to highlight the joint nature of the office and to demonstrate his opposition to the power - sharing arrangements. History Alex Salmond ( right ) meets Ian Paisley ( centre ) and Martin McGuinness in 2008. Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and subsequent the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Assembly was established in 1998 with a view to assuming devolved powers from the Westminster Parliament. On 1 July 1998, David Trimble ( UUP ) and Seamus Mallon ( SDLP ) were nominated and elected First Minister and Deputy First Minister designates respectively. Eventually, on 2 December 1999, power was devolved and Trimble and Mallon formally took office as joint heads of the Northern Ireland Executive. On 6 November 2001, Mark Durkan ( SDLP ) became Deputy First Minister after Seamus Mallon 's retirement. The Executive and the two positions were suspended between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007 following a breakdown in trust between the parties. On 8 May 2007, Ian Paisley ( DUP ) and Martin McGuinness ( Sinn Féin ) were nominated and appointed First Minister and Deputy First Minister respectively in line with the announcement by their two parties on 26 March 2007. Paisley announced his intention to resign on 4 March 2008. His deputy as DUP leader, Peter Robinson was ratified as Democratic Unionist Party leader designate on 17 April 2008 and took office in that role on 31 May 2008. As leader - designate of the largest designated unionist party in the Northern Ireland Assembly he was also in effect the First Minister designate and became First Minister on 5 June 2008. Arlene Foster succeeded Peter Robinson as DUP leader on 18 December 2015, and as First Minister on 11 January 2016. Separately, between 12 February 2000 and 30 May 2000, and 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007, however, devolution was suspended, and along with it the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister. The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister became the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. There were also two 24 - hour periods of suspension on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001. to allow timetables for negotiation to restart. First ministers and deputy First ministers Parties Ulster Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin First Minister of Northern Ireland deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Government Elections Name ( Birth -- Death ) Constituency Portrait Term of office Name ( Birth -- Death ) Constituency Portrait Term of office David Trimble ( 1944 -- ) Upper Bann 1 July 1998 1 July 2001 Seamus Mallon ( 1936 -- ) Newry and Armagh 1 July 1998 6 November 2001 First Executive 1998 Reg Empey was acting First Minister during this interval. 6 November 2001 14 October 2002 Mark Durkan ( born 1960 ) Foyle 6 November 2001 14 October 2002 Office vacant 2003 Ian Paisley ( 1926 -- 2014 ) North Antrim 8 May 2007 5 June 2008 Martin McGuinness ( 1950 -- 2017 ) Mid Ulster 8 May 2007 20 September 2011 Second Executive 2007 Peter Robinson ( 1948 -- ) Belfast East 5 June 2008 11 January 2010 Arlene Foster was acting First Minister during this interval. 3 February 2010 10 September 2015 Third Executive 2011 John O'Dowd was acting deputy First Minister during this interval. 31 October 2011 9 January 2017 Arlene Foster was acting First Minister during this interval. 20 October 2015 11 January 2016 Arlene Foster ( 1970 -- ) Fermanagh and South Tyrone 11 January 2016 9 January 2017 Fourth Executive 2016 Office vacant 2017 Direct rule First ministers During the periods of suspension, the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland assumed the responsibilities of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Name Photo Party Term start Term end John Reid Labour 14 October 2002 24 October 2002 Paul Murphy Labour 24 October 2002 6 May 2005 Peter Hain Labour 6 May 2005 8 May 2007 Living Former First Ministers and deputy First Ministers There are three living former first ministers and two living former deputy first ministers, not including those who served as acting : First Ministers Name Party Term of office Date of birth David Trimble UUP 1998 -- 2002 ( 1944 - 10 - 15 ) 15 October 1944 ( age 73 ) Peter Robinson DUP 2008 -- 2016 ( 1948 - 12 - 29 ) 29 December 1948 ( age 69 ) Arlene Foster DUP 2016 -- 2017 ( 1970 - 07 - 03 ) 3 July 1970 ( age 47 ) deputy First Ministers Name Party Term of office Date of birth Seamus Mallon SDLP 1998 -- 2001 ( 1936 - 08 - 17 ) 17 August 1936 ( age 81 ) Mark Durkan SDLP 2001 -- 2002 ( 1960 - 06 - 26 ) 26 June 1960 ( age 57 ) See also Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies Northern Ireland Executive Junior Minister ( Northern Ireland ) List of government ministers in Northern Ireland References Jump up ^ `` Members ' Salaries 2013 - 2014 ''. Members ' Expenses. Northern Ireland Assembly. Retrieved 20 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Section 2.2 ''. Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` Section 2.11 ''. Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` Section 2.3 ( vii ) ''. Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` Section 2.4 ''. Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Jump up ^ Section 19, Northern Ireland Act 1998 Jump up ^ Section 16 ( 3 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as enacted ) Jump up ^ `` Scuffles as Trimble re-elected ''. BBC News. 6 November 2001. Retrieved 20 October 2011. Jump up ^ Section 16A ( 4 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as amended ) Jump up ^ Section 16A ( 5 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as amended ) Jump up ^ Section 16C ( 6 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as amended ) Jump up ^ Section 21A ( 3A ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as amended ) Jump up ^ Section 16 ( 5 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as enacted ) Jump up ^ Section 16A ( 11 ), Northern Ireland Act 1998 ( as amended ) Jump up ^ https://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/sites/northsouthministerialcouncil.org/files/publications/%5Bcurrent-domain%3Amachine-name%5D/final_joint_communique_-_plenary_-_irish_-_18_november_2011.pdf Jump up ^ North / South Ministerial Council : 2011 Annual Report, Ulster Scots Jump up ^ North - South Ministerial Council : 2010 Annual Report, Ulster Scots Archived 27 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ North / South Ministerial Council : 2009 Annual Report, Ulster Scots Archived 1 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ North / South Ministerial Council : 2008 Annual Report, Ulster Scots Archived 29 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` The Belfast Agreement ''. gov.uk. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2017. Jump up ^ Martin 's D - lemma : lowering the case of the minister 's title took top aides weeks Belfast Telegraph, 21 March 2008 Jump up ^ `` Letter from the First Minister and deputy First Minister ''. First Report on the Arrangements for the Devolution of Policing and Justice Matters. Northern Ireland Assembly. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Are all things created equal ? BBC News, 17 February 2009 Jump up ^ Our conjoined ministers BBC News - The Devenport Diaries, 19 February 2009 Jump up ^ Paisley to quit as first minister BBC News, 4 March 2008 Jump up ^ Robinson confirmed as DUP leader BBC News, 17 April 2008 Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Commencement ) Order 2000 S.I. 2000 / 396. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Restoration of Devolved Government ) Order 2000 2000 / 1446. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Suspension of Devolved Government ) Order 2002 S.I. 2002 / 2574 Jump up ^ The Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Restoration of Devolved Government ) Order 2007 S.I. 2007 / 1397. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Suspension of Devolved Government ) Order 2001 S.I. 2001 / 2884. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Restoration of Devolved Government ) Order 2001 S.I. 2001 / 2895. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Suspension of Devolved Government ) ( No. 2 ) Order 2001 S.I. 2001 / 3230. Jump up ^ Northern Ireland Act 2000 ( Restoration of Devolved Government ) ( No. 2 ) Order 2001 S.I. 2001 / 3231. Jump up ^ `` Northern Ireland chronology : 2001 ''. BBC News. 9 April 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2011. External links Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister Heads of government of Northern Ireland Prime Ministers ( 1921 -- 1972 ) James Craig John Miller Andrews Basil Brooke Terence O'Neill James Chichester - Clark Brian Faulkner Chief Executive ( 1974 ) Brian Faulkner First Ministers and deputy First Ministers ( 1998 -- present ) David Trimble / Seamus Mallon David Trimble / Mark Durkan John Reid ( acting ) Paul Murphy ( acting ) Peter Hain ( acting ) Ian Paisley / Martin McGuinness Peter Robinson / Martin McGuinness Arlene Foster / Martin McGuinness Heads of governments of the United Kingdom Her Majesty 's Government ( Central ) Minority Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May ( Conservative ) Northern Ireland Executive ( Devolved ) Power - sharing Home rule First Minister Vacant ( since 9 January 2017 ) deputy First Minister Vacant ( since 9 January 2017 ) Scottish Government ( Devolved ) Minority Scottish National Party First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ( SNP ) Welsh Government ( Devolved ) Majority Coalition Labour / Liberal Democrats / Independent First Minister Carwyn Jones ( Labour ) Heads of governments of British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies Executive Office of Northern Ireland Headquarters : Castle Buildings Department First Minister Party allocation Designated Unionist : Democratic Unionist Party First Minister Vacant Junior Minister Vacant deputy First Minister Party allocation Designated Nationalist : Sinn Féin deputy First Minister Vacant Junior Minister Vacant Permanent Secretary Bruce Robinson Scrutiny Committee for the Executive Office Executive agencies Northern Ireland Bureau Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels Website : executive-ni.gov.uk Northern Ireland Executive Headquarters : Stormont Castle Heads of government First Minister Vacant deputy First Minister Vacant Departments Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Communities Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Economy Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Education Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Finance Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Executive Office First Minister Party allocation Designated Unionist : Vacant Minister Vacant Junior Minister Vacant deputy First Minister Party allocation Designated Nationalist : Vacant Minister Vacant Junior Minister Vacant Health Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Infrastructure Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Justice Party allocation Vacant Minister Vacant Website : www.northernireland.gov.uk Heads of Government of European states Abkhazia Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Nagorno - Karabakh Netherlands Northern Cyprus Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Ossetia Spain Sweden Switzerland Transnistria Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Vatican City Italics indicate partially recognized or urecognized countries. 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Titles used for heads of government Chancellor Chief executive Chief minister Federal Council ( collective head of government ) First minister ( and deputy First Minister ) Minister - president Premier President President of the Executive Council President of the Council of Ministers President of the government Prime minister State Elder Statsminister Taoiseach Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Minister_and_deputy_First_Minister&oldid=836643120 '' Categories : Northern Ireland Executive Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles containing Irish - language text Articles containing Scots - language text Use dmy dates from November 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cymraeg Deutsch Français 한국어 हिन्दी עברית Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Tagalog 中文 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 April 2018, at 00 : 33. 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Question: who was the first minister of northern ireland
Answer: David Trimble