Sinn Fein’s John O’Dowd takes up post as Infrastructure Minister

The seat on the Executive fell vacant after the SDLP’s Nichola Mallon failed to be re-elected in North Belfast in the recent Assembly election.

It came following a bruising poll for the SDLP which saw its MLA total drop from 12 to eight.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood refused to nominate another MLA to fill the seat, arguing that with his party’s reduced mandate, it was not entitled to take up a seat.

Under Assembly rules, Sinn Fein was the next party by vote share entitled to nominate another minister.

Ministers remain in a caretaking role until a new executive is nominated.

The executive has been unable to fully function since February when Paul Givan resigned as First Minister as part of the DUP’s protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he will not nominate ministers for a new executive until the UK government takes action over the post-Brexit treaty.

The DUP also dropped from being the biggest party at Stormont to behind Sinn Fein in the election which took place earlier this month.

Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said she was delighted to have appointed Mr O’Dowd to the role to “provide stewardship of that department until a new executive is formed”.