The Agreements

Question 1

What were the 6 agreements

Answer 1

• Good Friday agreement 1998
• St Andrews agreement 2006
• Hillsborough agreement 2010
• Stormont house agreement 2014
• Fresh Start agreement 2015
• New Decade New Approach 2020

Question 2

What was the context of the Good Friday agreement

Answer 2

• UK prorogued the storment government on March 24th 1972 due to civil rights movement results in 1960s 1970s
• intended as temporary solution allowing breathing space to create solution on civil rights
• unionists outraged by this
• led to democratic deficit
• absence of accountability

Question 3

How and when was GFA signed

Answer 3

• negotiated by political parties of NI
• officially known as Belfast agreement signed on April 10th 1998
• agreement co-guaranteed by British and Irish governments
• US Clinton administration also supported process sending senator George Mitchell to chair negotiations
• EU also supported deal

Question 4

How is GFA split up

Answer 4

• Strand one: Internal relations and institutions
• Strand two: North south institutions
• Strand three: East West institutions

Question 5

How did they attempt to introduce consociationalism

Answer 5

• power sharing: Executive Committee originally composed of 12 members but reduced in 2014. Relation between executive and assembly also power sharing
• proportionality guaranteed by PRstv and D’Hond allocation system
• equality commission and new equality laws. Right to self determination
• weighted majority or parallel consent for key decisions mutual veto of NSMC and within Executive Committee

Question 6

How does strand one create the assembly in NI

Answer 6

• originally 108 MLAs elected 6 per constituency (reduced to five each 90 in total)
• assembly would have prime legislative and executive authority
• 3 main functions: Legislation, Representation, Scrutiny

Question 7

How does strand one affect the executive of NI

Answer 7

• authority lies with Executive Committee
• originally 10 departments reduced to 8
• FM and dFM designated to be co-equal
• FM/dFM support office since 2016 is executive building
• ministers take initiative in area of responsibility
• absence of collective responsibility and ministerial ‘solo runs’

Question 8

What is strand 2

Answer 8

• North-South Ministerial Council
• ensure cooperation on matters of mutual interest
• permanent HQ in Armagh City
• meet in debate, sectoral and ministerial formats

Question 9

What is strand 3

Answer 9

• British-Irish council
• British-Irish intergovernmental conference
• Totality of relationships
• reassure Unionists no united Ireland with consent of electorate

Question 10

What was the context to the St Andrews agreement

Answer 10

• Stormontgate led to suspensions of institutions in 2002 no returning until 2007
• 2003 election led to Sinn Féin and the DUP becoming the largest parties (polarization)
• 2006 renegotiations start to make changes to allow stormont to work again

Question 11

What did the St Andrews agreement add to help give more power to the assembly

Answer 11

• petition of concern to prevent discrimination which sometimes failed to work
• 30 MLAs demand one Presiding officer (speaker) verifies if it’s a concern of important public matter
• executive must consider the issue within 7 days

Question 12

What other things did the St Andrews agreement add

Answer 12

• statuary ministerial code duty to act in accordance with the provisions of ministerial accountability
• if executive can’t come to consensus agreement 3 ministers can require it to be taken on a cross community basis
• pledge of office: ministers required to participate fully in executive, NSMC and BIC and observe joint nature of FM and dFfM offices
• FfM and dFM decided without cross community support
• can’t change designation for whole period of assembly term other than changing parties

Question 13

What other roles did St Andrews agreement try to complete

Answer 13

• Devolution of policing and justice powers
• Irish language legislation
• executive role in preparation of NSMC and BIC

Question 14

Why was the Hillsborough Agreement made and why

Answer 14

• 2010
• Delay in delivering policing and Justice

Question 15

How did Hillsborough agreement devolve policing and justice

Answer 15

• Dept of Justice established. Responsible for devolved justice policies. Justice minister chosen by executive and assembly
• Did not occur until 2011. David Ford (APNI) 1st Minister of Justice

Question 16

What other changes did the Hillsborough agreement have

Answer 16

• parading: local people provide locally agreed solutions
• code of conduct on parading: legally enforceable no sectarian harassment
• Financial settlement: £20 million pa until 2012 after £14 million pa
• executive functioning: working group to consider all proposed arrangements and recommendations as to how the executive can function better

Question 17

What was the context to the Stormont house agreement

Answer 17

• 2008 economic collapse led UK to need money
• New Conservative/Lib Dem coalition 2010 created WRB ‘bedroom tax’
• this as-well as failure to deliver on Irish language and differences on equality in marriage legislation led to problems in NI
• 2012 WRB needed parity legislation in NI negations took place in Stormont house to get over difficulties
• agreement reached in late 2014

Question 18

What changes did the Stormont house agreement make in terms of government

Answer 18

• reduction of MLA from 108 (6) to 90 (5)
• reduction of executive departments from 12 to 9
• devolution of corporation tax devolved to NI executive
• petition of concern threshold kept at 30 (harder to do)

Question 19

What other changes did the Stormont house agreement make

Answer 19

• settlement to decrease welfare provisions in NI by £114m
• improvements in efficiency of NI civil service
• commission on social issues decide how divisions impact delivery of goods, services etc.
• Legacy departments: oral history archive etc.
• Irish language: endorse need for respect and recognition of Irish Language after disrespect of language from DUP