British Irish Council

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the British-Irish Council established?
The Council was established under Strand Three of the Agreement reached in Belfast on Good Friday on 10 April, 1998 ‘to promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these islands.’

When was the British-Irish Council established?
The British-Irish Council was established on 2 December 1999 on the entry into force of the British-Irish Agreement, which was signed by the British and Irish Governments as part of the Good Friday Agreement on 8 March 1999.

Who make up the membership of the British-Irish Council?
Membership of the British-Irish Council comprises representatives of the Irish and British Governments and of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, together with representatives of the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.

What does the British Irish Council do?
The British-Irish Council works as a forum within which Members consult and exchange information with a view to co-operating on issues of mutual interest within their respective competences. The BIC meets regularly in various formats to review areas of common interest and use best endeavours to reach agreement on co-operation within the competence of the Member Administrations. However, the BIC does not have any legislative or regulatory remit in regard to these areas.

How often does the British-Irish Council meet?
The British-Irish Council meets at summit-level at least once a year, and more frequently at Ministerial-level. The British-Irish Council meets regularly at official level across its nine current work sectors.

What role does the British-Irish Council play in the peace process in Northern Ireland?
The British-Irish Council was established under Strand Three of the Agreement reached in Belfast on Friday 10 April, 1998. All of the institutional and constitutional arrangements of the Good Friday Agreement – including an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South Ministerial Council, a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and a British-Irish Council - are interlocking and interdependent. The decision to establish a British-Irish Council reflects the importance which the two Governments attach to East-West relations.

Through regular meetings at Summit, Ministerial and official level, the Council facilitates the development of mutually beneficial relationships between these islands.

Why did the British-Irish Council continue to meet when some of the other institutions of the Belfast Agreement were in suspension?
Meetings of the British-Irish Council continued to take place despite the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, reflecting the Irish and British Governments’ commitment to work together in a way which reflects the principles of the Agreement and protects and develops its achievements.

During the absence of Members from the Northern Ireland Executive, the interests of Northern Ireland were temporarily represented by the British Government.

How does the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland affect the British-Irish Council?
The British-Irish Council welcomes the full participation of the Northern Ireland Executive in the work of the Council.  

Where does the British-Irish Council meet?
The Council holds meetings regularly in all Member Administrations.

How many people does the British-Irish Council employ?
The British-Irish Council does not employ anybody directly. It is staffed by existing civil servants of the Member Administrations. The Joint Secretariat is staffed by officials provided by the Irish and British Governments.

Who pays for the British-Irish Council?
Under procedures agreed by the British-Irish Council, costs incurred by Members participating in British-Irish Council activities are borne by individual Administrations. The Secretariat is provided jointly by the Irish and British Governments.

How is the British-Irish Council structured?
Members of the British-Irish Council meet in different formats including Summit meetings at Head of Government or Administration level and in specific sector format at Ministerial and official level on a regular basis. The Council also holds seminars and conferences to consider cross-sector matters.

How does the British-Irish Council work?
The British-Irish Council meets regularly across its nine priority work sectors with one or more members taking the lead in each sector. A Co-ordinator in each Member Administration takes overall responsibility for facilitating the development of networks and the exchange of information between Members. Sectoral groups meet regularly with discussions chaired by the Lead Administration. The Lead Administration in each sector takes responsibility for advancing work in their individual sectors.

What are the areas of co-operation?
There are currently nine agreed work sectors, with each administration taking the lead in advancing particular sectoral areas. The work sectors are: Misuse of Drugs (Ireland); Environment (United Kingdom); Social Inclusion (Scotland and Wales); Transport (Northern Ireland); Knowledge Economy (Jersey); Tourism (Guernsey); e-Health (the Isle of Man); Minority and Lesser-Used Languages (Wales), and Demography (Scotland).

How does the Council decide areas of co-operation?
The British-Irish Council is mandated to exchange information, discuss, consult and use best endeavours to reach agreement on co-operation on matters of mutual interest within the competence of the relevant Administrations.

The first Summit meeting in London in December 1999 agreed an initial list of priority areas of work within the Council and decided that individual administrations would take the lead in advancing particular sectoral areas. Additional areas of work were agreed at subsequent Summit meetings.

It remains open to the British-Irish Council to propose and agree new areas of work, within the competence of Member Administrations, to advance co-operation among them.

How does the British-Irish Council make decisions?
The BIC normally operates by consensus. In relation to decisions on common policies or common actions, including their means of implementation, it operates by agreement of all members participating in such policies or actions.

What are the key achievements of the British-Irish Council?
The British-Irish Council has brought together, for the first time, representatives of the British and Irish Governments, the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and representatives of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands – Jersey and Guernsey.

The Council has to date met on 8 occasions at summit-level, in London, Dublin, Jersey, New Lanark (Scotland), St Fagans (Wales), Guernsey, the Isle of Man and London. There have been Ministerial-level meetings on Environment, Minority Languages, Misuse of Drugs, Social Inclusion and Transport. In addition, there have been almost 200 meetings or seminars at official and expert-level in all current priority areas.

Through participation in working groups, sector officials have been able to develop useful networks with their counterparts in other Member Administrations, allowing them to exchange views and share best practice.

Members have, where appropriate, agreed practical co-operation on areas as diverse as the misuse of drugs; environmental issues; indigenous, minority and lesser-used language; social inclusion; and knowledge economy issues.

Are there plans for British-Irish Council to look at other areas of mutual concern or interest to the Member administrations?
It remains open to the British-Irish Council to propose and agree new areas of work, within the competence of Member Administrations, to advance co-operation among them. The possibility of adopting new work areas remains under active consideration.