Stormont: Who is minding the shop without any ministers?

Stormont has had no ministers in post since October

Northern Ireland's ministers left office at the end of October and since then Stormont's nine government departments have been left in the hands of senior civil servants.

But, who are the officials running Northern Ireland?

With no ministers in place, the powers of civil servants are severely limited.

They can only implement policies previously agreed by politicians and their ability to react to changing circumstances is negligible.

'Majority of services'

In a statement to BBC News NI, The Executive Office (TEO) outlined how Northern Ireland is currently being run.

"Departments will continue to deliver services as far as possible and business as usual will continue for the majority of services in the immediate future," said a spokesperson.

The statement spelled out the limitations faced by civil servants.

"The courts have made clear what departments can do in the absence of a minister. The Court of Appeal confirmed in July 2018 that the role of the civil servant is to advise ministers and be accountable to them.

"The court also stated that any matter, which as a matter of convention or otherwise would normally go before the minister for approval, lies beyond the competence of a department in the absence of a minister."

So who are Northern Ireland's top civil servants?

Jayne Brady holds the top position in Northern Ireland's civil service

Jayne Brady - Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service

Ms Brady became Head of the Civil Service in June 2021 and leads a workforce of 23,000 civil servants.

Unlike most top Stormont officials she was appointed from outside the civil service having previously worked as Belfast City Council's digital innovation commissioner.

She holds an MBE for Services to Economic Development in Northern Ireland and describes herself as "an engineer at heart".

Addressing the current challenge facing senior officials Ms Brady said: "There is no doubt that what we are faced with is very difficult but we will continue to do our best to serve citizens."

The NI Civil Service offers a salary of up to £166,000 for its top job.

Denis McMahon began his career as a statistician

Denis McMahon - Permanent Secretary at the Executive Office

The role of Permanent Secretary at the Executive Office (TEO) previously included the function of head of the civil service. This changed when Jayne Brady was appointed.

The role was divided and long-term civil servant Denis McMahon became the leading official at TEO.

In normal times, it is the department at the heart of government and headed by the first and deputy first ministers.

TEO's official role includes "the effective operation of the institutions of government in the delivery of an agreed programme for government" - a tough job given the absence of an executive, or a programme for government.

Mr McMahon was previously permanent secretary at the Department of Agriculture and began his career as a statistician.

His many jobs have included a spell as principal private secretary to former first minister Ian Paisley.

Responsibility at the head of the remaining eight executive departments transferred to their individual permanent secretaries when the politicians lost their ministerial posts.

Some of them have been civil servants for all of their working lives, others have experience working in business, academia and the voluntary sector.

Colum Boyle - Department for Communities

Mr Boyle was appointed to the top job at the department in April 2022.

He had previously been interim permanent secretary in the Department of Finance.

The role of the Department for Communities includes responsibility for the social welfare system, housing and support for local government.

Katrina Godfrey - Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Ms Godfrey is an experienced senior civil servant, having spent three years as permanent secretary at the Department for Infrastructure.

She's the first woman to fill the top job at the Department of Agriculture.

In addition to her Stormont duties, the permanent secretary is a visiting professor at Ulster University where she teaches on the Masters in Public Administration course.

Neil Gibson - Department of Finance

Mr Gibson was the chief economist for Ireland in the consultancy firm EY before becoming permanent secretary in the department that holds Northern Ireland's purse strings.

He replaced Sue Gray, who had been highly tipped for the post of head of the civil service but subsequently returned to a career in Whitehall.

Neil Gibson is also a visiting professor of Economic Policy at Ulster University.

Mark Browne - Department of Education

Mr Browne is a familiar figure at Stormont having spent 36 years in the civil service.

He started out as a statistician in the Department of Finance in 1985.

Mr Browne was appointed permanent secretary at the education department in March 2021 having previously served as deputy secretary in TEO since 2013.

Peter May - Department of Health

Mr May took the helm at the department in May following a job swap with Richard Pengelly, who took over his position at the Department of Justice.

He has had a long civil service career at a senior rank. In addition to his period with the Justice Department, he previously held the top job at the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Mr May recently grabbed the headlines for comments he made regarding the future of Northern Ireland health service.

"Ultimately, we get the health service we pay for," he said.

"Without sustained investment, we will need as a society to recalibrate our expectations of what our health and social care system can deliver."

Richard Pengelly is the top civil servant in the Department for Justice

Richard Pengelly - Department of Justice

Richard Pengelly became the top official at the Justice Department in May following a stint of eight years as permanent secretary at the Department of Health.

His time at health coincided with the Covid pandemic when he worked alongside then Health Minister Robin Swann.

Mr Pengelly started out as a chartered accountant in private practice and worked in the Northern Ireland Audit Office before joining the Department of Finance and Personnel in 1998.

He is married to the Lagan Valley MLA, Emma Little-Pengelly.

Julie Harrison - Department for Infrastructure

Ms Harrison worked in a number of jobs outside the civil service before her appointment as deputy secretary in the Department of Justice in 2020.

She assumed the top job at infrastructure in April, where she heads a department employing 3,000 people.

Ms Harrison previously served as Northern Ireland chair and UK board member of the National Lottery Community Fund.

Mike Brennan - Department for the Economy

Mike Brennan took on the top job at economy in December 2020 having spent much of his civil service career at the Department of Finance.

He served as deputy secretary in the EU Exit Policy Group.

Prior to joining the civil service, Mr Brennan was an economist at the Northern Ireland Economic Council.