Environment
Transport
Energy
Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages
Creative Industries
Social Inclusion
Planning and Places
Housing
Early Years
Drugs and Alcohol
Background
The British-Irish Council (BIC) was established in 1999 as an institution of Strand 3 of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which had been reached the preceding year.
The Council is tasked with promoting positive, practical, relations on an East-West basis between the people of these islands.
It operates through eight Member Administrations of these islands – the UK Government, Government of Ireland, Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, Isle of Man Government, Government of Jersey, and Government of Guernsey.
British-Irish Council Heads of Administration meet twice each year at Summit level. They first met in December 1999 in London.
The Council also meets regularly at Ministerial level – usually three to four times per year.
At the level of officials, a series of Work Sector groups, with members from across the islands, cooperate on an ongoing basis on a range of agreed, specified areas of cooperation and information-sharing.
Since 2012, a standing Secretariat to the BIC has been based in Edinburgh, hosted by the Scottish Government.
Secretariat
The standing Secretariat for the British-Irish Council is provided by officials from the member administrations. It is staffed full-time, from a permanent base in Edinburgh, Scotland.