# Minister of State, Northern Ireland

The role of Minister of State for Northern Ireland is a mid-level position in the Northern Ireland Office in the British government. It is currently vacant, after the 2024 general election.

## Responsibilities

The minister has the following ministerial responsibilities:
Driving economic and domestic policy
* Long-term economic recovery from COVID-19
* Promotion of the economy, levelling up and innovation - including City Deals and the Shared Prosperity Fund
* Leading the department's work on the most critical constitution and rights issues in NI
Supporting the secretary of state in their responsibilities, including:
* Legacy stakeholder engagement
* Strengthening and sustaining the Union in Northern Ireland
* Vital security casework
* Building substantive relationships across sectors and communities
* Leading workstreams on New Decade, New Approach agreement and the NI Protocol

## List of ministers of state for Northern Ireland

| Name | Entered office | Left office | Political party |
| Paul Channon | 26 March 1972 | 5 November 1972 | Conservative |
| The Lord Windlesham | 26 March 1972 | 5 June 1973 | Conservative |
| William van Straubenzee | 5 November 1972 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative |
| David Howell | 5 November 1972 | 8 January 1974 | Conservative |
| Stan Orme | 7 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour |
| Roland Moyle | 27 June 1974 | 10 September 1976 | Labour |
| Don Concannon | 14 April 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour |
| The Lord Melchett | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour |
| Michael Alison | 7 May 1979 | 15 September 1981 | Conservative |
| Hugh Rossi | 7 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | Conservative |
| The Earl of Gowrie | 15 September 1981 | 10 June 1983 | Conservative |
| Adam Butler | 5 January 1981 | 11 September 1984 | Conservative |
| The Earl of Mansfield | 13 June 1983 | 12 April 1984 | Conservative |
| Rhodes Boyson | 11 September 1984 | 10 September 1986 | Conservative |
| Nicholas Scott | 10 September 1986 | 13 June 1987 | Conservative |
| John Stanley | 13 June 1987 | 25 July 1988 | Conservative |
| Ian Stewart | 25 July 1988 | 25 July 1989 | Conservative |
| John Cope | 25 July 1989 | 28 November 1990 | Conservative |
| Brian Mawhinney | 28 November 1990 | 14 April 1992 | Conservative |
| The Lord Belstead | 28 November 1990 | 14 April 1992 | Conservative |
| Robert Atkins | 14 April 1992 | 11 January 1994 | Conservative |
| Michael Mates | 15 April 1992 | 24 June 1993 | Conservative |
| John Wheeler | 25 June 1993 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative |
| Michael Ancram | 11 January 1994 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative |
| Adam Ingram | 2 May 1997 | 7 June 2001 | Labour |
| Jane Kennedy | 7 June 2001 | 13 June 2003 | Labour |
| John Spellar | 13 June 2003 | 10 May 2005 | Labour |
| David Hanson | 11 May 2005 | 8 May 2007 | Labour |
| Paul Goggins | 8 May 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Labour |
| Hugo Swire | 12 May 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative |
| Mike Penning | 4 September 2012 | 7 October 2013 | Conservative |
| Andrew Robathan | 7 October 2013 | 14 July 2014 | Conservative |
| Andrew Murrison | 14 July 2014 | 12 May 2015 | Conservative |
| Ben Wallace | 12 May 2015 | 17 July 2016 | Conservative |
| Andrew Dunlop | 17 July 2016 | 9 June 2017 | Conservative |
| vacant | 9 June 2017 | 9 January 2018 | |
| Shailesh Vara | 9 January 2018 | 15 November 2018 | Conservative |
| John Penrose | 16 November 2018 | 25 July 2019 | Conservative |
| Nick Hurd | 25 July 2019 | 16 December 2019 | Conservative |
| Robin Walker | 13 February 2020 | 16 September 2021 | Conservative |
| Conor Burns | 16 September 2021 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative |
| Steve Baker | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative |
| vacant | 5 July 2024 | | |