May 31: Sinn Fein took its three seats on the Policing Board for the first time.

June 17: Bertie Ahern was re-elected as Taoiseach. But Sinn Fein suffered disastrous results in Republic's elections.

June 28: Shaun Woodward became Secretary of State.

July 31: Operation Banner, the Army's
38-year campaign to counter the Troubles, ended.

September 11: Environment Minister Arlene Foster announced she was "minded" to award Giant's Causeway Visitors' Centre contract to Seymour Sweeney. Shortly afterwards Ian Paisley Jnr's relationship with the developer became the focus of media attention.

October 16: Culture Minister Edwin Poots blocked plans for Irish Language Act

October 16: Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie announced she was withdrawing funding for the loyalist Conflict Transformation Initiative because of a UDA failure to disarm. Finance Minister Peter Robinson challenged the legality of the move. The matter remains the subject of a High Court legal challenge by CTI employees.

October 21: Paul Quinn, 21, was beaten to death by a gang of men near Cullyhanna. His family blamed the IRA. Sinn Fein denied this.

October 23: The Stormont Executive published its first draft Programme for Government (PFG) and Budget

November 11: UDA announced a name change and stood down UFF.

December 4: Education Minister Caitriona Ruane announced 11-plus will not return and she wants to see transfer at age 14.

December 5-9: Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness visit New York and Washington on a trade mission, culminating in a meeting in the Oval Office with President Bush.

December 7: Jim Allister announces formation of Traditional Unionist Voice.

January 8, 2008: Eames/Bradley Consultative Group on the Past encounters controversy over a suggestion that the Government may be asked to say formally it fought a war against the IRA. There is also anger amongst unionists at suggestions of an amnesty for anyone involved in the Troubles.

January 9: Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness travel to Brussels to talk about EU investment in the Province.

January 22: Assembly agrees a final PFG, Budget and investment strategy, mapping out spending plans and targets for the next few years.

January 28: The creation of a four-member Victims' Commission is announced

January 29: Arlene Foster decided to reject Seymour Sweeney's privately-funded visitors' centre at the Giant's Causeway because it would have an "adverse impact on the world heritage site".

February 2: Michelle Williamson, whose parents were killed in the Shankill bomb, revealed she was mounting a court challenge against the new Victims' Commission.

February 18: Ian Paisley Jnr quit his role as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly because of endless negative media reports over his relationship with developer Seymour Sweeney.

March 4: Caitriona Ruane announced the formation of area-based planning groups to decide at a local level how best to deliver education, in terms of where schools should be built; how schools can work together; how subjects will be offered.

March 4: Ian Paisley announced he would stand down as First Minister and from the leadership of the DUP soon after May's US investment conference.

March 11: The Stormont committee which examines progress on devolution of policing and justice powers reported that agreement had failed to be reached on when it should happen. The Assembly and Executive Review Committee says the Government's May target for transferring the powers cannot be met and recommends that political parties engage in further discussion.

May 6: Bertie Ahern resigns as Taoiseach and Brian Cowen takes over.

May 7-9: US investment conference.