Northern Ireland Assembly

NI Assembly

Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly (Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlan Assemblie) is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It is responsible for making laws on transferred matters in Northern Ireland and for scrutinising the work of Ministers and Government Departments.

History

The Northern Ireland Assembly was established as part of the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement), which was signed on 10 April 1998. The agreement aimed to provide a new political framework for Northern Ireland, addressing issues such as governance, decommissioning of weapons, and civil and cultural rights. The first elections to the Assembly were held on 25 June 1998.

Structure

The Assembly sits at Parliament Buildings, located in the Stormont Estate in east Belfast. It is a unicameral body, consisting of 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), elected from 18 constituencies using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. The Assembly has the power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, including education, health, environment, and justice.

Functions and Powers

The primary function of the Northern Ireland Assembly is to pass laws on devolved matters. It also has significant powers to allocate the Northern Ireland Executive's budget and to scrutinize the Executive's decisions and policies. Committees play a crucial role in this scrutiny process, examining matters within their remit, gathering evidence, and reporting their findings to the Assembly.

Executive

The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, responsible for the implementation of laws and day-to-day governance. The Executive is headed by the First Minister and deputy First Minister, positions which are currently shared between the two largest parties in the Assembly. The Executive is formed following the d'Hondt method, which ensures representation of the main political parties in proportion to their strength in the Assembly.

Suspensions and Agreements

The Assembly has faced several suspensions since its establishment, primarily due to political deadlock and disagreements between the major parties. The most notable suspension lasted from 2002 until 2007, during which direct rule from London was reinstated. The St Andrews Agreement in 2006 laid the groundwork for the restoration of the devolved institutions.

Recent Developments

The Northern Ireland Assembly has seen periods of inactivity and was suspended from January 2017 until January 2020 due to disagreements between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, particularly over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal and issues relating to the Irish language. The New Decade, New Approach agreement, reached in January 2020, led to the restoration of the Assembly and the Executive.

Challenges and Criticisms

The Assembly has faced criticism for its periods of inactivity and for the perceived inefficiency of its power-sharing mechanism. Issues such as sectarian division, Brexit, and the Northern Ireland Protocol continue to pose significant challenges to the functioning and stability of the Assembly.

See Also

• Belfast Agreement
• Northern Ireland Executive
• Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Stormont Estate