The Hillsborough Agreement

The Hillborough Agreement of 5 February 2010 allowed Westminster to devolve Policing and Justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 12 April 2010. This was hailed as the ‘final piece’ in the devolution ‘jigsaw’. It was agreed that the Justice Minister would be elected by a cross-community vote in the Assembly following a nomination by an MLA. This is still the case today.

The Agreement affirmed a 'shared belief in the importance of working together in a spirit of partnership'. Working groups were established to consider how to improve the regulation of parades; how the Executive might function better; and how to deal with outstanding matters from the St Andrews Agreement. 

Some outstanding issues remained unresolved and further agreements have been necessary, namely the Stormont House Agreement (2014); Stormont House: Fresh Start Agreement (2015); and New Decade, New Approach (2020).

Q. Who is the current Minister for Justice? What are the key justice issues in Northern Ireland today?