Department for Employment and Learning
Encyclopedia
The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL, , Ulster Scots: Depairtment for Employ an Learnin), formerly the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment (DHFETE), is a devolved Northern Ireland
government department in the Northern Ireland Executive
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Employment and Learning.
The incumbent Minister is Dr Stephen Farry
(Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
).
The Department of Education
is responsible for all other levels of education in Northern Ireland .
DEL’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
In the Irish Government
, its main counterparts are:
on 23 May 1998 and the granting of Royal Assent
to the Northern Ireland Act 1998
on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly
and Northern Ireland Executive
were established by the United Kingdom government under Prime Minister
Tony Blair
. The process was known as devolution
and was set up to return devolved legislative powers to Northern Ireland. DEL is one of 11 devolved Northern Ireland departments created in December 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998
and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
.
The department was named the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment until 20 July 2001 but was changed to its current title as the initials DHEFETE were pronounced as "Defeat".
A devolved minister first took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule
ministers from the Northern Ireland Office
:
Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.
were responsible for the department:
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...
government department in the 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...
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Employment and Learning.
Aim
DEL’s overall aim is to “promote learning and skills, to prepare people for work and to support the economy”.The incumbent Minister is Dr Stephen Farry
Stephen Farry
Dr Stephen Farry is a Northern Irish politician, Minister for Employment and Learning in the Northern Ireland Executive and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He represents North Down and is a member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.-Biography:Dr...
(Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
).
Responsibilities
The department is responsible for policy in the following areas:- employment
- further education
- higher education
- skills and training
- employment rights and responsibilities
The Department of Education
Department of Education (Northern Ireland)
The Department of Education is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
is responsible for all other levels of education in Northern Ireland .
DEL’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:
- the Department for Business, Innovation and SkillsDepartment for Business, Innovation and SkillsThe Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
(including employment relations); and - the Department for Work and PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsThe Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(on general employment policy).
In the Irish Government
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...
, its main counterparts are:
- the Department of Education and Skills;
- the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation (on employment).
History
Following a referendum on the Belfast AgreementBelfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
on 23 May 1998 and the granting of Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
to the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Northern Ireland Act 1998
The Northern Ireland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after decades of direct rule from Westminster....
on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
and 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...
were established by the United Kingdom government under 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...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. The process was known as devolution
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...
and was set up to return devolved legislative powers to Northern Ireland. DEL is one of 11 devolved Northern Ireland departments created in December 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Northern Ireland Act 1998
The Northern Ireland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after decades of direct rule from Westminster....
and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
The Departments Order 1999 set out new devolved Northern Ireland government departments and the Northern Ireland Executive.-Departments created:The Departments Order 1999 created the following departments:...
.
The department was named the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment until 20 July 2001 but was changed to its current title as the initials DHEFETE were pronounced as "Defeat".
A devolved minister first took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule
Direct Rule
Direct rule was the term given, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, to the administration of Northern Ireland directly from Westminster, seat of United Kingdom government...
ministers from the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
:
- between 12 February 2000 and 30 May 2000;
- on 11 August 2001 ;
- on 22 September 2001 ;
- between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007.
Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.
Ministers for Employment and Learning
| Minister | Party | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Farren Sean Farren Sean Nial Farren is an Northern Irish politician.Farren studied at the National University of Ireland, University College Dublin, University of Essex and the University of Ulster... |
December 2, 1999 | February 11, 2000 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Sean Farren Sean Farren Sean Nial Farren is an Northern Irish politician.Farren studied at the National University of Ireland, University College Dublin, University of Essex and the University of Ulster... |
May 30, 2000 | December 14, 2001 | ||
| Carmel Hanna Carmel Hanna Carmel Hanna MLA is a Northern Irish politician. She is a member of the SDLP and was MLA for South Belfast from 1998 to 2010.-Early life and nursing career:... |
December 14, 2001 | October 14, 2002 | ||
| Office suspended | ||||
| Sir Reg Empey | 8 May 2007 | 27 October 2010 | ||
| Danny Kennedy Danny Kennedy Danny Kennedy MLA is a unionist politician in Northern Ireland a former deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Group and current Minister for Regional Development.-Background:... |
27 October 2010 | 5 May 2011 | ||
| Stephen Farry Stephen Farry Dr Stephen Farry is a Northern Irish politician, Minister for Employment and Learning in the Northern Ireland Executive and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He represents North Down and is a member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.-Biography:Dr... |
16 May 2011 | |||
Direct rule ministers
During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland OfficeNorthern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
were responsible for the department:
- Adam IngramAdam Ingram (Labour politician)Adam Paterson Ingram is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
(2000) - Jane KennedyJane Kennedy (politician)Jane Elizabeth Kennedy is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree from 1992 until she stood down in 2010...
(2002-04) - Barry GardinerBarry GardinerBarry Strachan Gardiner is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Brent North since 1997...
(2004-05) - Angela SmithAngela Evans SmithAngela Evans Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Basildon from 1997 till she was defeated in 2010...
(2005-06) - Maria EagleMaria EagleMaria Eagle is a British solicitor and Labour Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament for Garston and Halewood, having been the MP for Liverpool Garston from 1997 to 2010....
(2006-07)