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The office was created following the suspension, then abolition, of the home rule Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1972. The post of Secretary of State in effect fills two roles under the previous Stormont regime; the nominal head of the Northern Ireland executive, the Governor of Northern Ireland (the representative of Queen Elizabeth II) and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State resides in Hillsborough Castle , the previous residence of the Governor and the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland.

Power was devolved back to Northern Ireland on January 1, 1974 to the Northern Ireland Assembly under Brian Faulkner, but this administration collapsed on May 29 after a widespread strike organised by the loyalist Ulster Worker's Council. In 1982 a second Northern Ireland Assembly was established with the hope that it would eventually take power, but this Assembly was prorogued shortly after the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Under the Belfast Agreement (also called the Good Friday Agreement), the Northern Ireland Assembly was established. In 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep the new coalition government was established, consisting of a First Minister of Northern IrelandThe First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the leaders of the Northern Ireland Executive, Northern Ireland's home rule government set up in the 1990s as a result of the Good Friday Agreement. The office, t, a Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and an inter-party cabinet. The coalition consisted of members of four parties:

• Ulster Unionist PartyThe Ulster Unionist Party UUP sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. Until 2003 i (UUP)
• Social Democratic and Labour PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour Party SDLP — Irish: Pairti Soisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. The SDLP is also a social democratic party, and is affiliated to the Socialist Intern (SDLP)
• Democratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is a hardline Unionist party in Northern Ireland led by Ian Paisley. It is the largest unionist party at both the Northern Ireland Assembly level and in the Westminster Parliament. Established in the 1970s by Ian Paisley, it (DUP) (DUP ministers worked in their departments but refused to sit at Executive Committee meetings, in the absence of the disbandment of the Provisional IRA).
• Sinn FéinSinn Fein (in the Irish language "ourselves" or "we ourselves"; not as sometimes incorrectly translated, "ourselves alone") is an Irish political party. Originally founded by Arthur Griffith as an Irish separatist monarchist party, in 1917 it moved to cam

The devolved administration had several times to be suspended because the Unionists refused to work with Sinn Féin. The failure of the Provisional IRA to complete decommissioning within the period specified in the Good Friday Agreement led to threats from the Ulster Unionists to withdraw completely. From 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom the Executive and Assembly were suspended after allegations of a republican spy ring operating in Stormont. The responsibilities of the ministers in the Executive are currently exercised by British ministers answerable to the Secretary of State.