Members of the 4th Northern Ireland Assembly
| 4th Northern Ireland Assembly | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Legislative body | Assembly | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland | ||||||||||
| Meeting place |
Parliament Buildings, Stormont | ||||||||||
| Term | 12 May 2011 – 29 March 2016 | ||||||||||
| Election | 2011 assembly election | ||||||||||
| Government | Executive of the 4th Assembly | ||||||||||
| Members | 108 | ||||||||||
| Speaker |
Mitchel McLaughlin — William Hay until 13 October 2014 | ||||||||||
| First Minister |
Arlene Foster — Peter Robinson until 11 January 2016 — Arlene Foster (Acting) until 20 October 2015 — Peter Robinson until 30 September 2015 | ||||||||||
| Deputy First Minister |
Martin McGuinness — John O'Dowd (Acting) until 31 October 2011 — Martin McGuinness until 20 September 2011 | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
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The 4th Northern Ireland Assembly is the current unicameral devolved legislature of Northern Ireland following the 2011 assembly election of MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) on 5 May 2011.[1] The newly elected Assembly convened for the first time on 12 May 2011 in Parliament Buildings in Stormont.
The election saw 18 Assembly constituencies return six MLAs each. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Peter Robinson, remained the largest unionist party and the largest overall. Sinn Féin, led by Gerry Adams, remained the largest Irish nationalist party and the second largest overall. As per the Belfast Agreement and the St Andrews Agreement, a power-sharing coalition was then formed with the DUP, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. William Hay was elected as Speaker in the first sitting of the Assembly. Following Hay's retirement, Mitchel McLaughlin was elected as the first nationalist Speaker in October 2014.
The UUP, led by Tom Elliott, and the SDLP, led by Margaret Ritchie, secured less seats than in the previous assembly. The Alliance Party, led by David Ford, emerged from the election with an increased mandate after securing an additional seat. The four main parties which sit outside of the Northern Ireland Executive and thereby serve unofficially in opposition are the Green Party in Northern Ireland, the Traditional Unionist Voice, NI21 and the United Kingdom Independence Party.
More than three quarters of the members of the 3rd Northern Ireland Assembly were re-elected to the 4th: 83 MLAs had been members for all or part of the Assembly’s previous term. This includes 11 individuals who became MLAs in the previous Assembly by virtue of co-option. Twenty of the MLAs elected in 2011 are women. 25 new MLAs were elected to the Assembly, 23% of the total.
Composition of the 4th Northern Ireland Assembly
| Party | Designation | May 2011[na 1] | April 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • | Democratic Unionist Party | Unionist | 38 | 38 |
| • | Sinn Féin | Nationalist | 29 | 28[na 2] |
| Ulster Unionist Party | Unionist | 16 | 13 | |
| • | Social Democratic and Labour Party | Nationalist | 14 | 14 |
| • | Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | Other | 8 | 8 |
| Green Party in Northern Ireland | Other | 1 | 1 | |
| Traditional Unionist Voice | Unionist | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent | Unionist | 1 | 2 | |
| NI21 | Unionist | - | 1 | |
| UKIP | Unionist | - | 1 | |
| Speaker | None | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 108 | |||
Government coalition parties denoted with bullets (•)
- Notes
- ↑ May 2011 column refers to the state of parties after the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election.
- ↑ Mitchel McLaughlin is Speaker, and so is not counted as a member of the Sinn Féin parliamentary party.
| Designation | Composition | May 2011[na 1] | January 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | DUP, Ind. Unionist, NI21 (until May 2014, although still technically designated as Unionist), UKIP (from Oct. 2012), UUP, TUV, Independents | 56 | 56 |
| Nationalist | SDLP, Sinn Féin | 43 | 42 |
| Other | Alliance Party, Green Party, NI21 (from May 2014 - informally) | 9 | 9 |
| None | Speaker | 0 | 1 |
- Notes
- ↑ May 2011 column refers to the state of parties after the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election.
Graphical representation
- Ulster Unionist Party (from August 2015, prior was in the Executive)
- Green Party in Northern Ireland
- NI21
- Traditional Unionist Voice
- UKIP
- Independents
- Notes
- This is not the official seating plan of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Sinn Féin sit to the left of the Speaker and the Democratic Unionist Party sit to the right.
Leadership
- Speaker: Mitchel McLaughlin (Sinn Féin)
- Principal Deputy Speaker: Robin Newton (Democratic Unionist Party)
- Deputy Speaker: John Dallat (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
- Deputy Speaker: Roy Beggs Jr (Ulster Unionist Party)
Executive
- First Minister and Leader of Democratic Unionist Party: Peter Robinson
- Deputy First Minister: Martin McGuinness
- Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party: Alasdair McDonnell
- Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland: David Ford
Opposition
- Leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party: Mike Nesbitt
- Leader of Green Party in Northern Ireland: Steven Agnew
- Leader of NI21: Basil McCrea
- Leader of Traditional Unionist Voice: Jim Allister
- Assembly Leader of UKIP: David McNarry
MLAs by party
This is a list of MLAs elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, sorted by party.
Not to be confused: Paul Girvan (South Antrim) and Paul Givan (Lagan Valley) are different people, although both were co-opted to replace retiring Democratic Unionist members of the last Assembly. Roy Beggs, Jr. (born 1962) is the son of the Ulster Unionist Roy Beggs (born 1936), a former Assembly member for North Antrim and former MP for East Antrim in the British House of Commons. Similarly Mark H. Durkan (b. 1978) is the nephew of the former SDLP leader Mark Durkan (b. 1960), who left the Assembly after his election in 2010 as MP for Foyle.[2]
MLAs by constituency
The list is given in alphabetical order by constituency.
New members elected in May 2011
Twenty-five members of the third Assembly who were sitting at its dissolution on 24 March 2011 were succeeded by new members after the election of 5 May 2011. Seventeen sitting members did not present themselves for re-election and another eight were defeated at the polls. One re-elected member had been elected with a different affiliation in 2007.
The numbers indicate the percentage of votes each member received in the first round of counting under the Single Transferable Vote in the 2011 election, and the round which decided his or her election or defeat.[3][4]
This is a sortable table arranged alphabetically by the new member's surname. In some constituencies (Foyle, West Tyrone and Fermanagh & South Tyrone) where it is not possible to couple a single outgoing member by party with a single successor, the incoming members are arranged alphabetically (so the second one may be out of alphabetic order with the rest of the table) and the outgoing members are arranged arbitrarily.
| Outgoing member(s) | Party | 1st pref |
Round |
Constituency |
New Member(s) |
Party | 1st pref |
Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson, BrianBrian Wilson (retiring) | Green Party in N. Ireland | — | — | North Down | Agnew, StevenSteven Agnew | Green | 7.9% | 11 |
| O'Loan, DeclanDeclan O'Loan | SDLP | 9.1% | 9 | North Antrim | Allister, JimJim Allister | Trad. U. Voice | 10.1% | 9 |
| McGill, ClaireClaire McGill (retiring) | Sinn Féin | — | — | West Tyrone | Boyle, MichaelaMichaela Boyle | Sinn Féin | 12.9% | 4 |
| Cobain, FredFred Cobain | Ulster Unionist | 8.2% | 7 | Belfast North | Bradley, PaulaPaula Bradley | DUP | 10.4% | 6 |
| Bresland, AllanAllan Bresland Deeny, KieranKieran Deeny (retiring) | Democratic Unionist Independent | 10.3% — | 0 — | West Tyrone | Byrne, JoeJoe Byrne Hussey, RossRoss Hussey | SDLP UUP | 8.5% 10.4% | 5 |
| Purvis, DawnDawn Purvis | Ind. (elected as Prog. U.) | 5.3% | 11 | Belfast East | Cochrane, JudithJudith Cochrane | Alliance | 13.4% | 7 |
| Empey, RegReg Empey (retiring) Lord Empey | Ulster Unionist | — | — | Belfast East | Copeland, MichaelMichael Copeland | UUP | 6.8% | 11 |
| Neeson, SeánSeán Neeson (retiring) | Alliance | — | — | East Antrim | Dickson, StewartStewart Dickson | Alliance | 10.0% | 9 |
| Savage, GeorgeGeorge Savage (retiring) | Ulster Unionist | — | — | Upper Bann | Dobson, Jo-AnneJo-Anne Dobson | UUP | 7.9% | 7 |
| Browne, WallaceWallace Browne (retiring) Baron Browne of Belmont | Democratic Unionist | — | — | Belfast East | Douglas, SammySammy Douglas | DUP | 8.3% | 11 |
| McFarland, AlanAlan McFarland | Ind. (elected as UUP) | 6.7% | 9 | North Down | Dunne, GordonGordon Dunne | DUP | 13.3% | 2 |
| Callaghan, PólPól Callaghan [replaced Mark Durkan, MP] Mary Bradley (retiring) | SDLP | 6.8% — | 4 — | Foyle | Durkan, Mark H.Mark H. Durkan Colum Eastwood | SDLP | 12.8% 7.6% | 4 7 |
| Gallagher, TommyTommy Gallagher | SDLP | 9.6% | 6 | Fermanagh & South Tyrone | Flanagan, PhilPhil Flanagan | Sinn Féin | 10.6% | 6 |
| McHugh, GerryGerry McHugh (retiring) | Ind. (elected as SF) | — | — | Fermanagh & South Tyrone | Lynch, SeánSeán Lynch | Sinn Féin | 10.7% | 6 |
| Butler, PaulPaul Butler (retiring) | Sinn Féin | — | — | Lagan Valley | Hale, BrendaBrenda Hale | DUP | 8.2% | 7 |
| Burns, ThomasThomas Burns | SDLP | 10.6% | 0 | South Antrim | Lewis, PamPam Lewis | DUP | 8.9% | 4 |
| Paisley, IanIan Paisley, PC (retiring) Lord Bannside | Democratic Unionist | — | — | North Antrim | McIlveen, DavidDavid McIlveen | DUP | 8.1% | 8 |
| Bradley, P.J.P.J. Bradley (retiring) | SDLP | — | — | South Down | McKevitt, KarenKaren McKevitt | SDLP | 9.0% | 9 |
| Robinson, KenKen Robinson (retiring) | Ulster Unionist | — | — | East Antrim | McMullan, OliverOliver McMullan | Sinn Féin | 8.2% | 10 |
| Gibson, SimpsonSimpson Gibson (retiring) [replaced Jim Shannon] | Democratic Unionist | — | — | Strangford | Nesbitt, MikeMike Nesbitt | UUP | 11.0% | 6 |
| Leonard, BillyBilly Leonard (retiring) [replaced Francie Brolly] | Sinn Féin (suspended) | — | — | East Londonderry | O'Hoison CathalCathal Ó hOisín | Sinn Féin | 13.5% | 6 |
| Armstrong, BillyBilly Armstrong (retiring) | Ulster Unionist | — | — | Mid Ulster | Overend, SandraSandra Overend | UUP | 10.3% | 6 |
| Coulter, RobertRobert Coulter (retiring) | Ulster Unionist | — | — | North Antrim | Swann, RobinRobin Swann | UUP | 6.2% | 9 |
Member returning with a different affiliation
David McClarty, originally elected from East Londonderry as an Ulster Unionist, although not re-nominated by the UUP in 2011, stood successfully for re-election as an independent. This reduced the UUP's strength from 2007, while keeping independent strength in the Assembly at one (as Kieran Deeny, the retiring independent member, was not succeeded in West Tyrone by another independent). McClarty decided not to re-join the UUP after his re-election.[5][6]
Changes
| Date | Constituency | Gain | Loss | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May 2011 | Foyle | Speaker | DUP | William Hay is elected Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. | ||
| 27 January 2012 | Strangford | Independent | UUP | David McNarry is suspended from the UUP for nine months after an investigation by the party. | ||
| 31 March 2012 | South Down | SDLP | Margaret Ritchie vacated her seat in order to concentrate on her role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 1 April 2012 | South Down | SDLP | Seán Rogers co-opted to seat vacated by Margaret Ritchie.[7] | |||
| 13 April 2012 | South Down | Sinn Féin | Willie Clarke vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Down District Councillor. | |||
| 13 April 2012 | South Down | Sinn Féin | Chris Hazzard co-opted to seat vacated by Willie Clarke.[7] | |||
| 11 June 2012 | Foyle | Sinn Féin | Martina Anderson vacated her seat after being elected an MEP for Northern Ireland. | |||
| 14 June 2012 | Foyle | Sinn Féin | Maeve McLaughlin co-opted to seat vacated by Martina Anderson.[8] | |||
| 2 July 2012 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Conor Murphy vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 2 July 2012 | West Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Pat Doherty vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 2 July 2012 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Paul Maskey vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 2 July 2012 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Megan Fearon co-opted to seat vacated by Conor Murphy.[9] | |||
| 2 July 2012 | West Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Declan McAleer co-opted to seat vacated by Pat Doherty.[9] | |||
| 2 July 2012 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Rosie McCorley co-opted to seat vacated by Paul Maskey.[9] | |||
| 7 July 2012 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Michelle Gildernew vacated her seat in order to concentrate on her role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 7 July 2012 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Sinn Féin | Bronwyn McGahan co-opted to seat vacated by Michelle Gildernew.[9] | |||
| 4 October 2012 | Strangford | UKIP | Independent | David McNarry joins the UK Independence Party becoming the party's first Northern Ireland MLA. | ||
| 14 February 2013 | South Down | Independent | UUP | John McCallister resigns the UUP after it formed an electoral pact with the DUP. | ||
| 15 February 2013 | Lagan Valley | Independent | UUP | Basil McCrea resigns the UUP whip over its decision to engage in an electoral pact with the DUP. | ||
| 8 April 2013 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | Francie Molloy vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 8 April 2013 | Mid Ulster | Sinn Féin | Ian Milne co-opted to seat vacated by Francie Molloy.[10] | |||
| 6 June 2013 | South Down | NI21 | Independent | John McCallister along with McCrea establish and join the NI21 political party. | ||
| 6 June 2013 | Lagan Valley | NI21 | Independent | Basil McCrea along with McCallister establish and join the NI21 political party. | ||
| 4 September 2013 | Belfast South | SDLP | Resignation of Conall McDevitt. | |||
| 12 September 2013 | Belfast South | SDLP | Fearghal McKinney co-opted to seat vacated by Conall McDevitt.[11] | |||
| 18 April 2014 | East Londonderry | Independent | Death of David McClarty. | |||
| 6 May 2014 | East Londonderry | Independent | Claire Sugden co-opted to replace David McClarty following his death.[12] | |||
| 3 July 2014 | South Down | Independent | NI21 | John McCallister resigns the NI21 party whip over differences with the party leadership regarding an investigation into sexual wrongdoing by party leader, Basil McCrea.[13] | ||
| 13 October 2014 | Foyle | Speaker | Retirement of William Hay. | |||
| 20 October 2014 | Foyle | DUP | Maurice Devenney co-opted to replace William Hay following his retirement.[14] | |||
| 22 October 2014 | Belfast South | Sinn Féin | Alex Maskey stepped down in order to be transferred to Belfast West seat. | |||
| 22 October 2014 | Belfast South | Sinn Féin | Máirtín Ó Muilleoir co-opted to seat vacated by Alex Maskey.[15] | |||
| 3 November 2014 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Sue Ramsey retired due to ill health. | |||
| 3 November 2014 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Alex Maskey transferred seats to fill seat of Sue Ramsey.[15] | |||
| 12 January 2015 | South Antrim | Speaker | Sinn Féin | Mitchel McLaughlin is elected Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. | ||
| 25 March 2015 | Foyle | DUP | Retirement of Maurice Devenney. | |||
| 13 April 2015 | Foyle | DUP | Gary Middleton co-opted to replace Maurice Devenney following his retirement.[16] | |||
| 8 June 2015 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Mickey Brady vacated his seat in order to concentrate on his role as a Member of Parliament. | |||
| 8 June 2015 | Newry and Armagh | Sinn Féin | Conor Murphy co-opted and returned to the Assembly for the seat vacated by Mickey Brady.[17] | |||
| 21 June 2015 | Belfast South | SDLP | Alasdair McDonnell resigned to concentrate on his role as an Westminster MP. | |||
| 24 June 2015 | South Antrim | UUP | Danny Kinahan elected to Westminster. | |||
| 24 June 2015 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Tom Elliott elected to Westminster. | |||
| 29 June 2015 | South Antrim | UUP | Adrian Cochrane-Watson co-opted to replace Danny Kinahan.[18] | |||
| 29 June 2015 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Neil Somerville co-opted to replace Tom Elliott.[19] | |||
| 29 June 2015 | Belfast South | SDLP | Claire Hanna co-opted to seat vacated by Alasdair McDonnell.[20] | |||
| 11 August 2015 | East Antrim | DUP | Sammy Wilson resigned to end double-jobbing and focus on his role as an MP. | |||
| 19 August 2015 | East Antrim | DUP | Gordon Lyons co-opted to replace Sammy Wilson. | |||
| 7 September 2015 | Belfast East | UUP | Michael Copeland resigned due to health reasons. | |||
| 15 September 2015 | Belfast East | UUP | Andy Allen co-opted to replace Michael Copeland. | |||
| 27 September 2015 | Belfast South | DUP | Jimmy Spratt resigned due to health reasons. | |||
| 28 September 2015 | Belfast South | DUP | Emma Pengelly co-opted to replace Jimmy Spratt. | |||
| 31 December 2015 | Foyle | SDLP | Pat Ramsey retired on health grounds.[21] | |||
| 31 December 2015 | West Tyrone | SDLP | Joe Byrne retired on health grounds.[22] | |||
| 7 January 2016 | Foyle | SDLP | Gerard Diver co-opted to replace Pat Ramsey[23] | |||
| 7 January 2016 | West Tyrone | SDLP | Daniel McCrossan co-opted to replace Joe Byrne.[24] | |||
| 25 January 2016 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Neil Somerville resigned due to health. | |||
| 27 January 2016 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | UUP | Alastair Patterson replaced Neil Somerville. | |||
See also
- Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007
- Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2011
- Executive of the 4th Northern Ireland Assembly
References
- ↑ "Electoral Office 2011 results page". Eoni.org.uk. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
- ↑ New Durkan aims for leader's seat, The Belfast Telegraph, 10 October 2010 (retrieved 22 May 2011)
- ↑ NI Assembly: Latest 2011 Election results, UTV News (retrieved 22 May 2011)
- ↑ Full Northern Ireland Results, BBC News, 11 May 2011 (retrieved on 11 May 2011)
- ↑ "McClarty: withdraw Sinn Fein 'scum' remark or it's no deal, Tom", by Liam Clarke, The Belfast Telegraph, published and retrieved on Wednesday 11 May 2011.
- ↑ "David McClarty says he will remain an independent MLA", BBC, 11 May 2011 (retrieved 12 May 2011)
- 1 2 http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Assembly-Business/Minutes-of-Proceedings/Monday-16-April-2012/
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18491984
- 1 2 3 4 http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Assembly-Business/Minutes-of-Proceedings/Monday-02-July-2012/
- ↑ http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&aff=7279&per=3083&sel=5&ind=&prv=0
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