Description
The Northern Ireland Office is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and is based at Erskine House in Belfast City Centre and 1 Horse Guards Road in London.
Responsibilities
The NIO's role is to "maintain and support" the devolution settlement resulting from the Good Friday Agreement and St Andrews Agreement and the devolution of criminal justice and policing to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The department has responsibility for:
- electoral law
- human rights and equality
- national security in Northern Ireland
- the UK Government's approach to the legacy of the Troubles
It also represents Northern Irish interests at UK Government level and the interests of the UK Government in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Office has a close working relationship with the Government of Ireland as a co-guarantor of the peace process; this includes the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and its joint secretariat.
In the Irish Government, the NIO's main counterparts are:
- the Department of Foreign Affairs (on the peace process);
- the Department of the Taoiseach (supporting the role of the Taoiseach in the peace process);
- the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (on national security matters and the legacy of the Troubles);
- the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (on electoral law).
