The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; , Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlann Oaffis) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and is based at Erskine House in Belfast City Centre and 1 Horse Guards Road in London. Role The NIO's role is to "maintain and support" the devolution settlement resulting from the Good Friday Agreement and St Andrews Agreement and the devolution of criminal justice and policing to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The department has responsibility for: electoral law human rights and equality national security in Northern Ireland the UK Government's approach to the legacy of the Troubles It also represents Northern Irish interests at UK Government level and the interests of the UK Government in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Office has a close working relationship with the Government of Ireland as a co-guarantor of the peace process; this includes the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and its joint secretariat. In the Irish Government, the NIO's main counterparts are: the Department of Foreign Affairs (on the peace process); the Department of the Taoiseach (supporting the role of the Taoiseach in the peace process); the Department of Justice (on national security matters and the legacy of the Troubles); the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (on electoral law). History After partition in 1924 the Dublin Castle administration was largely replaced by the Parliament of Northern Ireland with the Northern Ireland Department of the Home Office handling the oversight from London, with some extremely important decisions such as sending of British Army soldiers to Northern Ireland in 1969 being made by the Home Secretary. In March 1972 with the Troubles worsening and the UK Government losing confidence in the Northern Ireland Government, direct rule from Westminster was introduced. The formation of the NIO put Northern Ireland on the same level as Scotland and Wales, where the Scottish Office and Welsh Office were established in 1885 and 1965 respectively. The NIO assumed policing and justice powers from the Ministry of Home Affairs. NIO junior ministers were placed in charge of other Northern Ireland Civil Service departments. Direct rule was seen as a temporary measure, with a power-sharing devolution preferred as the solution. Under the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland replaced the Governor of Northern Ireland and direct rule was annually renewed