British-Irish Council
Encyclopedia
The British–Irish Council (BIC) is an international organisation established under the Belfast Agreement
in 1998, and formally established on 2 December 1999 on the entry into force of the consequent legislation. Its membership comprises representatives from the governments of Ireland
; the United Kingdom
; three of the four countries of the UK (Northern Ireland
, Scotland
and Wales
); and three British Crown dependencies: Guernsey
, the Isle of Man
and Jersey
. Its stated aim is to "promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands". Because England
does not have a devolved government
, it is not represented on the Council as a separate entity.
It has been agreed that the BIC standing secretariat was to be located in Scotland.
The eight heads of government meet at twice yearly summits
. Additionally, there are regular meetings that deal with specific sectors and are attended by the corresponding ministers. The work of the Council is financed by members through mutual agreement as required, and a secretariat is provided by the UK and Irish governments in co-ordination with officials of each of the other members. Representatives of members operate in accordance with whatever procedures for democratic authority and accountability are in force in their respective elected legislature
s.
At the ninth meeting of the Council, it was decided that with devolved government returned to Northern Ireland that an opportune time existed "to undertake a strategic review of the Council’s work programmes, working methods and support arrangements." This decision included the potential for a permanent standing secretariat.
as suitable topics for early discussion. These work areas can be expanded or reduced as the Council decides. It is also open to the Council to make agreement on common policies. These agreements are made through consensus, although individual members may opt not to participate in implementing these. The current list of work areas and the member responsible are:
Demography was adopted as a work area at the 2006 meeting of the Council. It was proposed by the Scottish Executive, who also took responsibility for it. During the 2007 meeting of the Council the Scottish Government further proposed that energy
become a work area of the Council and offered again to lead the area. No decision will be reached on whether to add energy as a work area or who should take responsibility for it until after the strategic review returns its findings.
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
in 1998, and formally established on 2 December 1999 on the entry into force of the consequent legislation. Its membership comprises representatives from the governments of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
; the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; three of the four countries of the UK (Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
); and three British Crown dependencies: Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
. Its stated aim is to "promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands". Because England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
does not have a devolved government
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
, it is not represented on the Council as a separate entity.
It has been agreed that the BIC standing secretariat was to be located in Scotland.
Membership and operation
Membership of the Council consists of the following governments (with current heads of government, as of June 2011):| Member | Body | Representative | Post | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Guernsey |
Policy Council of Guernsey Policy Council of Guernsey Guernsey operates a system of government by committees and consensus. There are no political parties and the executive functions of government are under the control not of a central cabinet but of ten policy-specific departments, each run by boards or committees of five political members, all of... |
Lyndon Trott Lyndon Trott Lyndon Trott was born on 17 July 1964 from St. Sampson, Guernsey and he is the current Chief Minister of Guernsey. He was elected to the position on 1 May 2008 and his term of office will expire on 30 April 2012. He was re-elected as a Deputy for the electoral district of St. Sampson in the... |
Chief Minister Chief Minister of Guernsey The Chief Minister of Guernsey chairs the Policy Council, which consists of the heads of each of the ten government departments of the States of Guernsey. Guernsey operates a system of consensus, committees-based government... |
Crown dependency Crown dependency The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.... |
 Republic of Ireland |
Government of Ireland Irish Government The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach... |
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since... |
Taoiseach Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is... |
Sovereign state Sovereign state A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither... |
 Isle of Man |
Isle of Man Government Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, representing HM Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann... |
Tony Brown James Anthony Brown James Anthony "Tony" Brown is a Manx politician, former businessman and electrician, Who was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, from December 2006, until October 2011, When he stepped down from office following his decision to retire.... |
Chief Minister Chief Minister of the Isle of Man The Chief Minister is the executive head of the Isle of Man Government.The office derives from that of Chairman of the Executive Council. Before 1980 the Executive Council was chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, but thereafter the chairman was elected by Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man... |
Crown dependency Crown dependency The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.... |
 Jersey |
Council of Ministers of Jersey Council of Ministers of Jersey The Council of Ministers is the collective institution of executive government in Jersey. The Council co-ordinates policies and administration, especially policy affecting two or more ministers, prioritises executive and legislative proposals, and presents a "Strategic Plan for Jersey" for approval... |
Terry Le Sueur Terry Le Sueur Terry Le Sueur was Chief Minister of Jersey between 2008 and 2011.He was born at Millbrook, Saint Helier, and was educated at De La Salle College, Jersey and Oxford University, where he was the King Charles Exhibitioner at Jesus College; and read physics... |
Chief Minister Chief Minister of Jersey The Chief Minister of Jersey is the head of government of Jersey. The head of government is not directly elected by the people but rather by the legislature .... |
Crown dependency Crown dependency The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.... |
| Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... |
Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement... |
Peter Robinson Peter Robinson (politician) Peter David Robinson is the current First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party... and Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland.... |
First Minister and deputy First Minister First Minister and deputy First Minister The First Minister and the Deputy First Minister , sometimes abbreviated to FM/DFM, are positions in the Northern Ireland... |
UK constituent country Constituent country Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a part Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts... |
 Kingdom of Scotland |
Scottish Government | Alex Salmond Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon... |
First Minister First Minister of Scotland The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy... |
UK constituent country Constituent country Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a part Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts... |
 United Kingdom |
Her Majesty's Government | David Cameron David Cameron David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament .... |
Prime Minister Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and... |
Sovereign state Sovereign state A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither... |
 Wales |
Welsh Government | Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Carwyn Howell Jones is a Welsh politician and the First Minister of Wales. The third official to lead the Welsh Government, Jones has been Assembly Member for Bridgend since 1999. In the coalition government of Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, he was appointed Counsel General for Wales and Leader of... |
First Minister First Minister for Wales The First Minister of Wales is the leader of the Welsh Government, Wales' devolved administration, which was established in 1999. The First Minister is responsible for the exercise of functions by the Cabinet of the Welsh Government; policy development and coordination; relationships with the... |
UK constituent country Constituent country Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a part Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts... |
The eight heads of government meet at twice yearly summits
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
. Additionally, there are regular meetings that deal with specific sectors and are attended by the corresponding ministers. The work of the Council is financed by members through mutual agreement as required, and a secretariat is provided by the UK and Irish governments in co-ordination with officials of each of the other members. Representatives of members operate in accordance with whatever procedures for democratic authority and accountability are in force in their respective elected legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
s.
At the ninth meeting of the Council, it was decided that with devolved government returned to Northern Ireland that an opportune time existed "to undertake a strategic review of the Council’s work programmes, working methods and support arrangements." This decision included the potential for a permanent standing secretariat.
Work areas
The Council agrees to specific work areas for which individual members take responsibility. The Belfast Agreement suggested transport links, agriculture, environmental issues, culture, health, education and approaches to the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
as suitable topics for early discussion. These work areas can be expanded or reduced as the Council decides. It is also open to the Council to make agreement on common policies. These agreements are made through consensus, although individual members may opt not to participate in implementing these. The current list of work areas and the member responsible are:
- DemographyDemographyDemography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
- Scotland - eHealthEHealtheHealth is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication, dating back to at least 1999...
- Isle of Man - EnvironmentEnvironmental policyEnvironmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
- United Kingdom - Indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages - Wales
- Knowledge economyKnowledge economyThe knowledge economy is a term that refers either to an economy of knowledge focused on the production and management of knowledge in the frame of economic constraints, or to a knowledge-based economy. In the second meaning, more frequently used, it refers to the use of knowledge technologies to...
- Jersey - Misuse of drugs - Ireland
- Social inclusion - Scotland and Wales (jointly)
- TourismTourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
- Guernsey - TransportTransportTransport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
- Northern Ireland
Demography was adopted as a work area at the 2006 meeting of the Council. It was proposed by the Scottish Executive, who also took responsibility for it. During the 2007 meeting of the Council the Scottish Government further proposed that energy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
become a work area of the Council and offered again to lead the area. No decision will be reached on whether to add energy as a work area or who should take responsibility for it until after the strategic review returns its findings.
Name of the Council
In represented minority and lesser-used languages the council is known as:- Guernésiais:
- JèrriaisJèrriaisJèrriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. It has been in decline over the past century as English has increasingly become the language of education, commerce and administration...
:
See also
- North/South Ministerial CouncilNorth/South Ministerial CouncilThe North/South Ministerial Council is a body established under the Belfast Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland...
- British-Irish Intergovernmental ConferenceBritish-Irish Intergovernmental ConferenceThe British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference was established under an Agreement between the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom made on 8 March 1998. It was provided for under Strand Three of the Belfast Agreement...
- British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly
- British IslesBritish IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
- Belfast AgreementBelfast AgreementThe Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
External links
- British Irish Council Former official website
- British–Irish Council info from States of Jersey