An Historic Week: New Relationships for a New Century

1. Northern Ireland

The Assembly - Northern Ireland's Parliament

108 members UUP: 27 SDLP: 24 DUP: 20: SF: 18 Alliance: 5 UKUP: 1 NIUP: 3 Women's Coalition: 2 PUP: 2 Ulster Unionist Assembly Party: 3 Independent unionist (exNIUP): 1 Independent unionist (exUUP): 1 Presiding officer: Lord Alderdice.

The Executive - Northern Ireland's Government

12 ministers: 4 UUP, 4 SDLP, 2 DUP,2 SF

First Minister: David Trimble (UUP) Deputy First Minister: Seamus Mallon (SDLP) Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Reg Empey (UUP) Finance and Personnel: Mark Durkan (SDLP) Regional Development: Peter Robinson (DUP) Education: Martin McGuinness (SF) Environment: Sam Foster (UUP) Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment: Sean Farren (SDLP) Social Development: Nigel Dodds (DUP) Culture, Arts and Leisure: Michael McGimpsey (UUP) Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Bairbre de Bruin (SF) Agriculture and Rural Development:Brid Rogers (SDLP)

Statutory Committees

To Advise and Assist Ministers

Enterprise, Trade and Investment: Pat Doherty (SF), chairman, and Sean Neeson (Alliance), deputy chairman. Finance and Personnel: Francie Molloy (SF) and James Leslie (UUP) Regional Development: Dennis Haughey (SDLP) and Alan McFarland (UUP). Education: Danny Kennedy (UUP) and Sammy Wilson (DUP). Environment: William McCrea (DUP) and Carmel Hanna (SDLP) Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Joe Hendron (SDLP) and Tommy Gallagher (SDLP) Social Development: Fred Cobain (UUP) and Michelle Gildernew (SF). Culture, Arts and Leisure: Eamon O~Neill (SDLP) and Mary Nelis (SF) Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment: Esmond Birnie (UUP) and Mervyn Carrick (DUP). Agriculture and Rural Development: Ian Paisley (DUP) and George Savage (UU P)

Civic Forum

Sixty member body reporting annually to Assembly with advice and views reflecting business, trade, farming, fishing, community relations, education, arts, culture, sport, women's rights and the churches.

Membership to include: 18 from voluntary sector, seven from the ICTU northern committee, seven from the NI chamber of commerce, the confederation of British industry, the federation of small businesses and the Ulster farmers union.

2. North-South Ministerial Council

Membership: Ministers from the Executive and the Irish Government.

Cross-border Implementation Bodies

Agencies with chief executive and secretarial to implement decisions taken by Ministerial Council. Six agencies will cover inland Waterways, Food safety, Trade and Business Development, Specual EU Programmes, Language (Irish and Ulster Scots), and Aquaculture and Marine.

Areas for Co-operation

Matters deemed appropriate for cross-border co-operation: transport, agriculture, education, health, the environment and tourism.

3. East-West

British-Irish Council

Also known as the Council of the Isles; will provide forum for meetings of elected representatives from the Dail, House of Commons, assemblies in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, as well as the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

British-Irish Inter-governmental Conference

Replaces Maryfield secretariat in Belfast set up under Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985; will be vehicle for summit meetings between Taoiseach and Prime Minister, and other ministers, to promote bi-lateral matters of interest; Conference will have permanent staff and secretariat to deal with areas not devolved to NI Executive, eg security.