Ministerial line up in NI

By Anne Moore from NICVA

Published on 13 May 2005

New ministerial appointments for Northern Ireland following general election on 5 May 2005.

	Peter Hain, MP, Secretary of State, is the MP for Neath and remains the Secretary of State for Wales. Since 1997 he has held the post of Minister in the Welsh Office, Minister for Africa in the Foreign Office, Minister for Energy at the DTI, Minister for Europe at the Foreign Office. He was promoted to the cabinet in 2002 when he became Secretary of State for Wales. He became Leader of the House of Commons in June 2003 while retaining his position as Secretary for Wales.
	David Hanson MP for Delyn in North Wales, Tony Blair's former parliamentary private secretary, has been made a minister with the political development, criminal justice, culture, arts, leisure and social development portfolios.
	Lord Rooker, formerly an MP for Birmingham's Perry Barr, moves from the Home Office to take up his position as minister at agriculture and rural development, regional development, finance and personnel and House of Lords.
	Shaun Woodward MP, St Helens South, is the former Conservative Party's director of communications who joined Labour in 1999 and is appointed as a junior minister running security, prisons, environment and health, social services and public safety.
	Angela Smith MP, Basildon and East Thurrock, remains at the Northern Ireland Office but moves from Health and Culture to take over education, employment and learning, enterprise, trade and investment.