Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

Last updated

Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016
Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Variant 1, 2022).svg
Northern Ireland Assembly
Long title An Act to reduce the number of members of the Assembly returned for each constituency.
Citation 2016 c. 29
Introduced by Stewart Dickson
Territorial extent Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent 22 July 2016
Commencement 2 March 2017
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 is a 2016 Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly. It provided for a reduction of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the Assembly from 108 to 90 for the first election following the 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election. [1] MLAs are elected by single transferable vote (STV), with each of Northern Ireland's 18 Westminster constituencies being used to elect multiple MLAs (six before this Act and five from 2017).

Contents

History

The Northern Ireland Act 1998, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom following the Good Friday Agreement, established the Northern Ireland Assembly and declared that each Assembly constituency would elect six members. [2] In 2014, during consideration of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, the House of Lords added an amendment to the bill to reduce the number of MLAs based upon Northern Irish popular opinion that the Northern Ireland Assembly was too large. [3]

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the House of Commons supported the amendment that provided the Assembly the power to vote to reduce itself in size providing there was sufficient cross-community support. [4] The Democratic Unionist Party supported this and circulated a white paper proposing a reduction in MLAs and fewer departments in the Northern Ireland Executive. [5] The deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness supported the proposal after Sinn Féin had initially opposed the reduction. [6]

Passage

In 2015 the bill was introduced into the Northern Ireland Assembly by the Alliance Party's Stewart Dickson. [7] It provided that the number of members elected in each of the 18 constituencies would be reduced from six to five. [1] The bill was passed unanimously with no dissenting votes. [8] Royal assent was granted by Queen Elizabeth II on 22 July 2016 with the intention that the bill would come into force at the next election for the Northern Ireland Assembly. [9] [10]

In 2017, McGuinness resigned as deputy First Minister because of Arlene Foster's decision to reject Sinn Féin's calls that she step down as First Minister, following the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. Sinn Féin refused to nominate a successor, which caused the Northern Ireland Executive to collapse due to requiring cross-community support. Because of the collapse of the Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire, was obliged to dissolve the Assembly under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and called a snap election to be held on 2 March 2017. [11] As a result, the implementation of the act was brought forward. This meant the 2017 Assembly election would be the first held under the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, with 90 MLAs being returned instead of 108. [12] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Northern Ireland</span>

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It was created as a separate legal entity on 3 May 1921, under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The new autonomous Northern Ireland was formed from six of the nine counties of Ulster: four counties with unionist majorities – Antrim, Armagh, Down, and Derry/Londonderry – and two counties with slight Irish nationalist majorities – Fermanagh and Tyrone – in the 1918 General Election. The remaining three Ulster counties with larger nationalist majorities were not included. In large part unionists, at least in the north-east, supported its creation while nationalists were opposed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Assembly</span> Legislature of Northern Ireland

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin McGuinness</span> Irish republican politician and IRA leader (1950–2017)

James Martin Pacelli McGuinness was an Irish republican politician and statesman for Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during The Troubles. He was the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from May 2007 to January 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)</span>

Members of the Legislative Assembly are representatives elected by the voters to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daithí McKay</span> Irish politician (born 1982)

Daithí Gerard McKay is an Irish newspaper columnist and former Sinn Fein politician. He was the Chair of the Finance Committee in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2012 to 2016, and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Antrim from 2007 to 2016. He brought forward legislation that led to the introduction of a Carrier Bag Levy in Northern Ireland and the abolishment of rates for Community Amateur Sport Clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland</span> Joint heads of government of Northern Ireland

The First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland are the joint heads of government of Northern Ireland, leading the Northern Ireland Executive and with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive Office. Despite the titles of the two offices, the two positions have the same governmental power, resulting in a duumvirate; the deputy First Minister, customarily spelled with a lowercase d, is not subordinate to the First Minister. Created under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, both were initially nominated and appointed by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on a joint ticket by a cross-community vote, under consociational principles. That process was changed following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, such that the First Minister now is nominated by the largest party overall, and the deputy First Minister is nominated by the largest party from the next largest community block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election took place on Thursday, 5 May, following the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly at midnight on 24 March 2011. It was the fourth election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016. It was the fifth election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998. 1,281,595 individuals were registered to vote in the election. Turnout in the 2016 Assembly election was 703,744 (54.9%), a decline of less than one percentage point from the previous Assembly Election in 2011, but down 15 percentage points from the first election to the Assembly held in 1998.

The fourth Northern Ireland Assembly was the unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland following the 2011 assembly election on 5 May 2011. This iteration of the elected Assembly convened for the first time on 12 May 2011 in Parliament Buildings in Stormont, and ran for a full term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Fearon</span> Irish Sinn Féin politician

Megan Fearon (born 29 July 1991) is an Irish former Sinn Féin politician who was member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the Newry and Armagh constituency from June 2012 to January 2020. She remains the youngest MLA to have assumed office at the age of 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 2 March 2017. The election was held to elect members (MLAs) following the resignation of deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. McGuinness' position was not filled, and thus by law his resignation triggered an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renewable Heat Incentive scandal</span> Public spending scandal in Northern Ireland

The Renewable Heat Incentive scandal, also referred to as RHIgate and the Cash for Ash scandal, is a political scandal in Northern Ireland that centres on a failed renewable energy incentive scheme that has been reported to potentially cost the public purse almost £500 million. The plan, initiated in 2012, was overseen by Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the then-Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Foster failed to introduce proper cost controls, allowing the plan to spiral out of control. The scheme worked by paying applicants to use renewable energy. However, the rate paid was more than the cost of the fuel, and thus many applicants were making profits simply by heating their properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span> Election held in Northern Ireland

The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months after the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed due to the resignation of the First Minister, Paul Givan of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

This is a list of the 90 members of the sixth Northern Ireland Assembly, the unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. The election took place on 2 March 2017, with counting finishing the following day; voter turnout was estimated at 64.8%.

The Executive of the 6th Northern Ireland Assembly was appointed on 11 January 2020, after the confirmation of Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill as First and deputy First Ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022</span> Legislation in Northern Ireland

The Identity and Language Act 2022 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom providing "official recognition of the status of the Irish language" in Northern Ireland, with Ulster Scots being an officially recognised minority language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Decade, New Approach</span> Northern Irish governmental agreement

New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) is a 9 January 2020 agreement which restored the government of the Northern Ireland Executive after a three-year hiatus triggered by the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. It was negotiated by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith and Irish Tánaiste Simon Coveney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Northern Ireland Assembly election</span> Upcoming elections for Northern Ireland

A Northern Ireland Assembly election will be held to elect 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly by 6 May 2027.

References

  1. 1 2 Northern Ireland Assembly. Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 as amended (see also enacted form ), from legislation.gov.uk .
  2. ↑ "Northern Ireland Act 1998". Legislation.gov.uk. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Assembly urged to reduce its size". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  4. ↑ "Royal Assent for Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014". Government of the United Kingdom. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  5. ↑ "Northern Ireland talks process: Cut Stormont down to size?". BBC News. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Martin McGuinness backs smaller Northern Ireland Assembly". BBC News. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  7. ↑ TheyWorkForYou (23 November 2015). "MLAs: Reduction in Number: 23 Nov 2015: Northern Ireland Assembly debates". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  8. ↑ TheyWorkForYou (23 February 2016). "Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Bill: Final Stage: 23 Feb 2016: Northern Ireland Assembly debates". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 - Explanatory Notes". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 Whyte, Nicholas (10 January 2017). "North looking at a new election landscape". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "Election set for March as Stormont to be dissolved". RTÉ. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "NI 'must not be derailed' by election - Brokenshire". ITV. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.