The Northern Ireland Assembly, often referred to by the metonym Stormont, is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement. The executive is referred to in the legislation as the Executive Committee of the assembly and is an example of consociationalist ("power-sharing") government.
Roy Beggs Jr is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician, serving as a Mid and East Antrim Councillor for the Larne Lough DEA since 2023. Beggs served as a Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2011 to 2016, and 2020 to 2022. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim from 1998 to 2022.
Alderman Stephen William Moutray is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician, serving as an Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Councillor for the Lurgan DEA since December 2018. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann from 2003 to 2016. Moutray was also a Lurgan councillor on Craigavon Borough Council, from 2001 to 2014, where he served as Mayor from 2010 to 2011.
The Second Executive is as under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 a power sharing coalition.
The Committee for the Executive Office was established to advise and assist the First Minister and deputy First Minister, on matters within their responsibilities as Ministers. The committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Executive Office and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.
The Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs was established in Northern Ireland to advise and assist the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, on matters within his responsibility as a Minister. The committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.
The Committee for Education is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Education and Minister of Education on matters within his or her responsibility as a minister. The committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.
The Committee for Health is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Health and Minister of Health. The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new legislation.
The Department of Justice is a government department in the Northern Ireland Executive, which was established on 12 April 2010 as part of the devolution of justice matters to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The department's Permanent Secretary is Richard Pengelly. It combines the previous work of the Northern Ireland Office and the Ministry of Justice, within the United Kingdom Government, which were respectively responsible for justice policy and the administration of courts in Northern Ireland.
The Committee for Infrastructure is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department for Infrastructure and the Minister for Infrastructure. The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new legislation.
The Committee for Communities is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department for Communities and Minister for Communities. The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new social development legislation.
The Committee for Finance is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Finance and the Minister of Finance. The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new legislation.
The Committee for the Economy is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department for the Economy and Minister for the Economy. The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new legislation.
In Northern Ireland, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest eligible political party in the Northern Ireland Assembly that is not in the Northern Ireland Executive. The position is currently held by Matthew O'Toole of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
Jo-Anne Elizabeth Dobson is a former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MlA) for Upper Bann from 2011 to 2017. She took up the role as Northern Ireland Ambassador for charity Kidney Care UK in February 2018, and has promoted organ donation.
The Third Executive was, under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, a power-sharing coalition.
Clare Bailey is a Northern Irish activist and former politician who was the Leader of Green Party Northern Ireland from November 2018 to August 2022, having been deputy leader of the party from 2014 to 2017. Bailey was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 2016 to 2022.
Colin McGrath MLA is an Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) politician from Northern Ireland. He has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Down since the 2016 election.
The role of official opposition in the Northern Ireland Assembly can be taken by larger political parties who do not participate in Northern Ireland's consociational power-sharing Executive. Forming an Assembly Opposition empowers opposition parties to scrutinise the work of government, giving them financial assistance, enhanced speaking rights in the chamber and the right to chair certain committees.
