Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Department overview
Formed December 1999
Preceding Department Department of Education
Jurisdiction Northern Ireland
Headquarters Causeway Exchange, Bedford Street, Belfast, BT2 7EG
Employees 269 (September 2011) [1]
Annual budget £112.1 million (current) & £16.3 million (capital) for 2011-12 [2]
Minister responsible Carál Ní Chuilín
Website
www.dcalni.gov.uk
Northern Ireland

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The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) (Irish: An Roinn Cultúir, Ealaíon agus Fóillíochta, Ulster Scots: Männystrie o Fowkgates, Airts an Aisedom)[3] is a devolved Northern Irish government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Contents

Aim

DCAL’s overall vision is a “confident, creative, informed and healthy society”. It describes its mission as delivering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in Northern Ireland by "unlocking the full potential of the culture, arts and leisure sectors." [4]

The incumbent Minister is Carál Ní Chuilín (Sinn Féin). [5] The Minister is, by virtue of office, the Keeper of the Records for Northern Ireland. [6]

Responsibilities

The department has the following main responsibilities:

Some cultural matters are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved: [7]

DCAL’s main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:

Its main counterparts in the Irish Government are:

History

Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement 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. DCAL 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.

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.

Ministers of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Minister Party Took office Left office
    Michael McGimpsey Ulster Unionist 2 December 1999 11 February 2000
Office suspended
    Michael McGimpsey Ulster Unionist 30 May 2000 14 October 2002[23]
Office suspended
    Edwin Poots Democratic Unionist 8 May 2007 9 June 2008
    Gregory Campbell Democratic Unionist 9 June 2008 1 July 2009
    Nelson McCausland Democratic Unionist 1 July 2009 5 May 2011
    Carál Ní Chuilín Sinn Féin 16 May 2011

Direct rule ministers

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey Historical Data". Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. http://www.detini.gov.uk/sep_11_table_5.14.xls. Retrieved 28 December 2011. 
  2. ^ "Budget 2011-15". Department of Finance and Personnel. http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/revised_budget_-_website_version.pdf. Retrieved 28 December 2011. 
  3. ^ Männystrie o Fowkgates, Airts an Aisedom is the name used by the Department itself, although other variants, like the Depairtment o Cultur, Airts an Leisur, are also in use.
  4. ^ Northern Ireland Budget 2011-15, page 44
  5. ^ http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/index/work-of-the-executive/ministers-and-their-departments.htm Northern Ireland Executive
  6. ^ Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. "Site construction begins for the new PRONI Headquarters". Northern Ireland Executive. http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/index/media-centre/news-departments/news-dcal/news-dcal-november-2008/news-dcal-241108-site-construction-begins.htm. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  7. ^ Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
  8. ^ DCMS: About us
  9. ^ Defra: Marine and freshwater fisheries
  10. ^ The National Archives: How we are run
  11. ^ Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: About Us
  12. ^ Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government: Public Libraries
  13. ^ Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs: What We Do
  14. ^ Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Inland Fisheries Division
  15. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
  16. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
  17. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  18. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  19. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  20. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  21. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
  22. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
  23. ^ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

External links