Northern Ireland Secretary
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
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|---|---|
.svg)
Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government
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| Northern Ireland Office | |
| Style |
The Right Honourable (Formal prefix) Northern Ireland Secretary |
| Residence | Hillsborough Castle |
| Appointer | Elizabeth II |
| Precursor | Governor of Northern Ireland |
| Inaugural holder | William Whitelaw |
| Formation | 24 March 1972 |
| Website | www.nio.gov.uk/ |
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally known as the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in Her Majesty's Government with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is the chief minister in the Northern Ireland Office. As with other ministers, the position is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The position is normally described simply as 'the Secretary of State' by residents of Northern Ireland.
Formerly holding a large portfolio over home affairs in Northern Ireland, the current devolution settlement has lessened the Secretary of State's role, granting many of the former powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. The Secretary of State is now generally limited to representing Northern Ireland in the UK cabinet, overseeing the operation of the devolved administration and a number of reserved and excepted matters which remain the sole competence of the UK Government e.g. security, human rights, certain public inquiries and the administration of elections.
Created in 1972, the position has switched between Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and Labour Party. As Labour has not fielded candidates in Northern Ireland and the Conservatives have not had candidates elected to Northern Ireland Assembly or for House of Commons seats in the province, those appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have not represented a constituency in Northern Ireland. This contrasts with the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales.
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