The Northern Ireland Assembly

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The Northern Ireland Assembly
Laura St John Engagement Directorate
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Parliament Buildings
Home of the Northern Ireland Assembly
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Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 7 March 2007
6 (2003)
4
-9
-2
1
1
0.6
1.7
3.2
26.2
30.1
14.9
15.2
5.2
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Political Party Designations as of Mar 2007
Speaker
Nationalist community
Unionist community
Political parties
UUP
DUP
SDLP
SF
APNI
PUP
GP
Indep.
Others APNI, GP and Kieran Deeny signed the
roll as United Community Group.
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Devolution

• NI Assembly is a Devolved Institution
• Devolution is the transfer of certain powers from
  a central parliament to a regional legislature
• It allows decisions to be made at a level closer
  to the people they affect
• A Central parliament (in this case, the UK
  government) retains power over certain areas

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Transferred/Excepted/Reserved Matters

• Agriculture
• Economic Development
• Employment and Training
• Fire/ambulance services
• Education
• Health
• Housing
• Transport
• Road safety
• Environment
• Sport, Arts Leisure
• Policing and Justice
• Defence

• Transferred Matters have been devolved to the
  Assembly

Reserved Matters Remain the responsibility of the
UK government, but may become devolved in the
future Excepted Matters Will always remain with
UK Government
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Legislative Relationship

• NI still elects MPs to the UK Parliaments House
  of Commons and a Secretary of State continues to
  represent NI interests in the UK Cabinet
• The Assembly can consider and legislate (though
  the latter has never actually happened) on
  Reserved, and even Excepted Matters, with
  permission from the Secretary of State
• The Assembly can pass a legislative consent
  motion allowing Westminster to legislate on our
  behalf. Examples include Climate Change and
  Child Poverty Bills.

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The Governance of Northern Ireland
scrutinises

• Assembly
• Carries out its work in Plenary sessions (full
  meetings of the Assembly)

Executive Committee Cabinet An Executive
Committee of Ministers is nominated to exercise
executive authority. They have responsibility for
delivering public services
108 Elected Members including Speaker Deputy
Speakers
First and deputy First Ministers
10 Executive Department Ministers

• Have responsibility to deliver
• Legislation - to initiate, scrutinise, debate
  vote on new laws
• Scrutiny of the Executive Committee
• Representation to all of NI

The Committee System
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Cross-community support

• Certain decisions made by the Assembly
  cannot be carried by a simple majority, eg, the
  election of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers,
  changes to standing orders, exclusion of a
  Minister from office and financial decisions.
  Special voting procedures are in place to ensure
  that such decisions have the support of both
  designated Unionists and designated Nationalists.
  They can be agreed by parallel consent (the
  support of over 50 of all those voting,
  including over 50 of both designated
  Nationalists and designated Unionists) or
  weighted majority (the support of 60 of those
  voting, including 40 of designated Unionists and
  40 of designated Nationalists). A
  cross-community vote can also be triggered by a
  petition of concern signed by over 30 MLAs.
• Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker
• Changes to Standing Orders
• Budget allocations and other financial votes
• Determination of number of ministers and their
  portfolios
• Exclusion of Minister or Members of political
  party from holding office

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The Speaker

• Elected by the House to preside over (chair)
  meetings of the NI Assembly
• Maintains a politically neutral stance has no
  vote.
• Ensures that procedures are followed and order is
  maintained in the Chamber.
• 3 Deputy Speakers -
• Francie Molloy SF
• John Dallat SDLP
• David McClarty UUP
• Unlike the Speaker, the Deputy
• Speakers may participate
• in debate and voting.

Mr William Hay MLA
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Committees

• Committees do the day-to-day work
• There are 3 types of Committees
• Statutory
• Standing
• Ad Hoc
• Membership of Committees broadly reflects party
  strength in the Assembly.

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Statutory Committees

• Main method of scrutinising the Executive
• Each Committee shadows a Government Department
• Wide-ranging roles and powers to
• Advise Ministers on new policy
• Scrutinise legislation and suggest amendments
• Scrutinise actions of their Executive
  Department/Minister
• Hold inquiries and publish reports
• Introduce a Bill (proposed new law).
• Have had considerable impact
• 76 of suggested amendments to proposed
  legislation accepted
• 70 of Inquiry recommendations implemented or
  accepted by Ministers.
• (based on performance between 1999 and 2002)

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Case Study Agriculture Committee

• Most committees have 11 MLAs. 8 of the 11 MLAs on
  the Agriculture Committee have a farming
  background.
• Engage with individuals and communities through
• Committee visits to relevant sites such as the
  Balmoral Show, and holding meetings of the
  committee around Northern Ireland.
• Running inquiries independently from the related
  department and taking evidence from individuals,
  pressure groups, lobby groups etc.
• Taking on work experience students.
• Giving time to all correspondence that comes to
  the committee.
• Examples of grass roots lobbying
• Red Meat Task Force Used committee and
  departmental influence to provide a round table
  discussion between farmers and senior executives
  and chairmen of Marks and Spencer and Tesco.
• Italian Exports Change in EU regulations
  prevented an export of pigs to Italy. Farmers
  wrote to the Committee, who called for Oral
  Evidence. The Committee then petitioned the
  Italian Ambassador and Commissioner to revise the
  regulation and the clause was changed to
  accommodate the Northern Irish farmers.

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Committee Power

• The committee system of the NIA differs from that
  at Westminster due to the coalition government
  formed by the Executive.
• The Chair of a committee is, with one exception,
  always from a different party to the Minister it
  shadows. In this way, a committee forms a
  pseudo-opposition to the Minister/Executive and
  retains greater power as a result.

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Committee Evidence

• All committees have guidance on the NIA website
  on how to engage with them, particularly in
  response to public consultation inquiries
• Consultation notices placed in press, on website,
  and circulated through consultation lists
• Inquiry form online for anyone with a query or
  contribution
• Individuals and groups encouraged to liaise with
  committees through email, letters, and
  presenting oral or written evidence if called to
  do so
• Guidance on how to present evidence / communicate
  with committees

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Standing Committees

• Permanent, set up under Standing Orders and
  mostly concerned with the running of the
  Assembly
• Business - arranges plenary business (13 members)
• Procedures reviews Standing Orders (11)
• Audit scrutinises Assembly expenditure (5)
• Standards and Privileges considers Members
  privileges, conduct and interests, and
  investigates complaints. (11)
• Public Accounts scrutinises use of resources by
  Departments and government agencies. (11)
• Assembly and Executive Review reviews the
  functioning of the Assembly and Executive. (11)

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Ad Hoc Committees

• Temporary, and set up to look at specific issues,
  such as
• Proceeds of crime
• Life sentences
• Flags and emblems

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Committee Inquiries

• The Committees Report goes to the House first
  for debate. If the Minister is present, they are
  expected to respond
• A written response from the Minister is expected
  within 2 months
• An active Committee will keep pressure on the
  Minister by bringing an issue back to the House
• Information about inquiries and reports can be
  accessed on the Committee section of the website

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Executive Committee

• Headed by First Minister and deputy First
  Minister
• A multi-party (coalition) Executive
• Ten Ministers each have full responsibility for
  their own Department
• Appointed using a system (dHondt) which ensures
  that all parties are represented according to
  their strength in the Assembly

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Engagement with the public

• The Assembly Commission aim to strengthen
  democracy in creating a better, shared future for
  all.
• The Assembly Engagement Directorate currently
  runs
• Educational visits and programmes
• Outreach events such as Road Shows which
  recently brought a panel of MLAs to every
  constituency in NI
• Tours and events within Parliament Buildings,
  such as recent Youth Achievers Ball
• Inter-parliamentary relationships such as CPA and
  BIPA
• Assembly and Business Trust
• Examples of plans already underway for the future
  include
• Audit of Public Engagement
• Assembly Exhibition

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The Northern Ireland Assembly
Laura St John laura.st.john_at_niassembly.gov.uk /
02890 521785Engagement Directorate, 401D
Parliament Buildings