By Mark Devenport BBC Northern Ireland political editor

So Peter Hain survives the reshuffle, but two of his team are moved sideways.

After staying on from Paul Murphy's era to provide continuity, Angela Smith goes to join Ruth Kelly's new Communities and Local Government Department built out of the remains of John Prescott's old empire.

More surprisingly the wealthiest NIO minister in memory, millionaire Shaun Woodward, bids goodbye to security and health in Northern Ireland to move to Tessa Jowell's Culture Department.

Peter Hain will remain as NI secretary

Given Mr Woodward's background in TV journalism this is something of a return to his roots.

Angela Smith was well liked by civil servants and lobbyists as she handled her various portfolios which included victims, the environment and economic development.

Her most controversial task was to push ahead with the legislation ending academic selection.

The order, which has come in for trenchant criticism from the supporters of grammar schools, is still making its way through parliament.

Shaun Woodward, a high profile defector from the Conservatives, threw himself into his first ministerial job with gusto.

He will no doubt like to be remembered as the politician who approved a total smoking ban in public enclosed spaces for Northern Ireland and cut hospital waiting lists.

He attracted some less favourable headlines earlier this year when he told the BBC that the IRA had ended criminality, a statement which later appeared to be contradicted by both senior police officers and the Independent Monitoring Commission.

The controversy prompted unionist calls for Mr Woodward's resignation, calls which the minister strongly rejected, claiming that too much was being made of his comments.

At the time of writing the precise portfolios of the new members of the NIO team have yet to be announced.

However, at first sight there appears to be an overlap between the Liverpool MP Maria Eagle's former responsibilities at the Department of Education and Skills and much of Angela Smith's work.

Similarly the Manchester MP Paul Goggins' concentration within the Home Office on areas like serious and organised crime and the Assets Recovery Agency look to have a natural relevance to Shaun Woodward's old brief.

Shaun Woodward bids goodbye to the health and security portfolios

Peter Hain survives with his two jobs, apparent proof that the allegations made about him concerning a supposed peerage offer have not dented him so far as Downing Street is concerned.

Plaid Cymru used parliamentary privilege on Thursday to claim that Mr Hain had offered the recently deceased Welsh politician Peter Law a peerage not to stand against Labour in the last election.

But, Mr Hain vehemently denied the allegation accusing the Welsh nationalists of cowardice in not making it to his face.

After emerging from the reshuffle unscathed, Mr Hain declared that this was an "exciting time for Wales" as he pushes through legislation intended to give the Welsh assembly greater powers and "a defining period for Northern Ireland" as he works "flat out" to achieve a restoration of Stormont.

Clearly it would have been peculiar timing to have moved the secretary of state so close to the 15 May resumption of the assembly.

Although, with so many top jobs changing hands it's a fair bet that Mr Hain would not have turned down a perch further up the ministerial pecking order.

What of Tony Blair? Will this reshuffle diminish the pressure on the prime minister to set a date for his departure.

Despite predictable calls from some left-wingers for Mr Blair to declare a timetable for his departure there's no sign of him jumping ship any time soon.

Most observers agree that the English local election results whilst bad for Labour, could have been a lot worse.

Discussing Mr Blair's future on the BBC's Inside Politics two Northern Ireland born commentators now resident in England, former Labour press officer Adrian McMenamin and former Labour councillor turned newspaper columnist Leo McKinstry, agreed that Mr Blair looks secure well beyond the 24 November deadline for a Stormont deal.

Mr McMenamin thought a left-wing stalking horse challenge might actually strengthen the prime minister's hand.