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.
James Andrew Spratt was a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician and police officer from Northern Ireland. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Belfast from 2007 to 2015.
Michelle O'Neill is an Irish politician who is the First Minister of Northern Ireland since February 2024 and Vice President of Sinn Féin since 2018. She has also been the MLA for Mid Ulster in the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2007. O'Neill was previously deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2020 to 2022. O'Neill served on the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council from 2005 to 2011.
The speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly is the presiding officer of the Northern Ireland Assembly, elected on a cross-community vote by the Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. A principal deputy speaker and two deputy speakers are elected to help fulfil the role. The office of Speaker is currently held by the MLA for Belfast South Edwin Poots of the Democratic Unionist Party.
The Second Executive is as under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 a power sharing coalition.
The Executive Office (TEO) is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive. The ministers with overall responsibility for the department are the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
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 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.
The Third Executive was, under the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, a power-sharing coalition.
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.
The Committee for Justice is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Justice and the Minister of Justice. The Committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department of Justice and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.
The 6th Executive of Northern Ireland was appointed on 3 February 2024, following the 2022 election to the seventh Northern Ireland Assembly held on 5 May 2022 and the protracted negotiations leading up to the 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation. The newly elected assembly met for the first time on 13 May 2022. It is led by Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy First Minister.
