2nd Northern Ireland Assembly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2nd Northern Ireland Assembly |
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| Overview | |||||||
| Legislative body | Assembly | ||||||
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland | ||||||
| Meeting place | Parliament Buildings, Stormont |
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| Term | 15 May 2006 – 29 January 2007 | ||||||
| Election | 2003 assembly election | ||||||
| Government | Executive of the 2nd Assembly (Direct Rule) | ||||||
| Members | 108 | ||||||
| Speaker | Eileen Bell | ||||||
| Sessions | |||||||
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The Northern Ireland Assembly elected in November 2003 was a group of people chosen to represent Northern Ireland. However, this assembly never fully met to make laws. This was because Northern Ireland's own government had been put on hold. The United Kingdom government took direct control on 14 October 2002.
Even though the government was on hold, the people elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) were still called together. They met to try and form a new government. This happened first under a law called the Northern Ireland Act 2006. Later, they met under an agreement known as the St Andrews Agreement. Sadly, these groups could not agree to form a government before the next election in 2007.
This article lists the members of this second Assembly. It includes people who joined later to replace those who left or passed away. It also shows when members changed which political party they belonged to.
Contents
How Many Members Each Party Had
This section shows how many members each political party had in the Assembly. It compares the numbers right after the 2003 election to the numbers at the end of the Assembly's term in January 2007.
| Party | Designation | Nov 2003 election |
Jan 2007 end |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Unionist Party | Unionist | 30 | 32 | |
| Ulster Unionist Party | Unionist | 27 | 24 | |
| Sinn Féin | Nationalist | 24 | 21 | |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | Nationalist | 18 | 18 | |
| Alliance Party | Other | 6 | 5 | |
| UK Unionist Party | Unionist | 1 | 1 | |
| Progressive Unionist Party | Unionist | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent | Nationalist | 0 | 1 | |
| Independent | Other | 0 | 1 | |
| Independent | Unionist | 1 | 2 | |
| Speaker | None | 0 | 1 | |
| Vacant | Nationalist | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals by Designation | Unionist | 60 | 60 | |
| Nationalist | 42 | 41 | ||
| Other | 6 | 6 | ||
| None | 0 | 1 | ||
| Total | 108 | |||
Visualizing Party Strengths
These images show how the different political parties were represented in the Assembly over time. Each image is like a snapshot of the Assembly's makeup.
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At election, 26 Nov 2003 (Suspended Northern Ireland Assembly)
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10 Apr to 25 Sep 2006 (Suspended Northern Ireland Assembly and Assembly est. under the Northern Ireland Act 2006),
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25 Sep 2006 to 15 Jan 2007 (Suspended Northern Ireland Assembly and Transitional Assembly)
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2 Feb 2007 to end (Suspended Northern Ireland Assembly)
Members of the Assembly by Party
This is a list of all the MLAs elected in the 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election. They are grouped by their political party.
| Party | Name | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Unionist Party (32) | Norah Beare ‡ | Lagan Valley | |
| Thomas Buchanan | West Tyrone | ||
| Gregory Campbell | East Londonderry | ||
| Wilson Clyde | South Antrim | ||
| George Dawson | East Antrim | ||
| Diane Dodds | Belfast West | ||
| Nigel Dodds | Belfast North | ||
| Jeffrey Donaldson ‡ | Lagan Valley | ||
| Alex Easton | North Down | ||
| George Ennis | Strangford | ||
| Arlene Foster ‡ | Fermanagh & South Tyrone | ||
| Paul Girvan | South Antrim | ||
| William Hay | Foyle | ||
| David Hilditch | East Antrim | ||
| Nelson McCausland | Belfast North | ||
| William McCrea | Mid Ulster | ||
| Lord Morrow | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Stephen Moutray | Upper Bann | ||
| Robin Newton | Belfast East | ||
| Ian Paisley | North Antrim | ||
| Ian Paisley Jr. | North Antrim | ||
| Edwin Poots | Lagan Valley | ||
| George Robinson | East Londonderry | ||
| Iris Robinson | Strangford | ||
| Mark Robinson | Belfast South | ||
| Peter Robinson | Belfast East | ||
| Jim Shannon | Strangford | ||
| David Simpson | Upper Bann | ||
| Mervyn Storey | North Antrim | ||
| Peter Weir | North Down | ||
| Jim Wells | South Down | ||
| Sammy Wilson | East Antrim | ||
| Ulster Unionist Party (24) | Billy Armstrong | Mid Ulster | |
| Roy Beggs, Jr. | East Antrim | ||
| Billy Bell | Lagan Valley | ||
| Esmond Birnie | South Belfast | ||
| David Burnside | South Antrim | ||
| Fred Cobain | Belfast North | ||
| Michael Copeland | Belfast East | ||
| Robert Coulter | North Antrim | ||
| Leslie Cree | North Down | ||
| Tom Elliott | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Reg Empey | Belfast East | ||
| Sam Gardiner | Upper Bann | ||
| Norman Hillis | East Londonderry | ||
| Derek Hussey | West Tyrone | ||
| Danny Kennedy | Newry and Armagh | ||
| David McClarty | East Londonderry | ||
| Alan McFarland | North Down | ||
| Michael McGimpsey | Belfast South | ||
| David McNarry | Strangford | ||
| Dermot Nesbitt | South Down | ||
| Ken Robinson | East Antrim | ||
| John Taylor | Strangford | ||
| David Trimble | Upper Bann | ||
| Jim Wilson | South Antrim | ||
| Sinn Féin (22) | Gerry Adams | Belfast West | |
| Francie Brolly | East Londonderry | ||
| Willie Clarke | South Down | ||
| Pat Doherty | West Tyrone | ||
| Michelle Gildernew | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Gerry Kelly | Belfast North | ||
| Alex Maskey | Belfast South | ||
| Fra McCann | Belfast West | ||
| Raymond McCartney † | Foyle | ||
| Barry McElduff | West Tyrone | ||
| Philip McGuigan | North Antrim | ||
| Martin McGuinness | Mid Ulster | ||
| Mitchel McLaughlin | Foyle | ||
| Francie Molloy | Mid Ulster | ||
| Conor Murphy | Newry and Armagh | ||
| John O'Dowd | Upper Bann | ||
| Patricia O'Rawe | Newry and Armagh | ||
| Tom O'Reilly | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Sue Ramsey † | Belfast West | ||
| Caitríona Ruane | South Down | ||
| Kathy Stanton | Belfast North | ||
| Vacant | Belfast West | ||
| Social Democratic and Labour Party (18) | Alex Attwood | Belfast West | |
| Dominic Bradley | Newry and Armagh | ||
| Mary Bradley | Foyle | ||
| P. J. Bradley | South Down | ||
| Thomas Burns | South Antrim | ||
| John Dallat | East Londonderry | ||
| Mark Durkan | Foyle | ||
| Sean Farren | North Antrim | ||
| Marietta Farrell † | Lagan Valley | ||
| Tommy Gallagher | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | ||
| Carmel Hanna | Belfast South | ||
| Dolores Kelly | Upper Bann | ||
| Alban Maginness | Belfast North | ||
| Alasdair McDonnell | Belfast South | ||
| Patsy McGlone | Mid Ulster | ||
| Eugene McMenamin | West Tyrone | ||
| Pat Ramsey | Foyle | ||
| Margaret Ritchie | South Down | ||
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (5) | Seamus Close | Lagan Valley | |
| David Ford | South Antrim | ||
| Naomi Long | East Belfast | ||
| Kieran McCarthy | Strangford | ||
| Seán Neeson | East Antrim | ||
| Progressive Unionist Party (1) | Dawn Purvis † | Belfast East | |
| UK Unionist Party (1) | Robert McCartney | North Down | |
| Independent (1) | Kieran Deeny | West Tyrone | |
| Independent Unionist (1) | Paul Berry ‡ | Newry and Armagh | |
| Independent Nationalist (2) | Geraldine Dougan ‡ | Mid Ulster | |
| Davy Hyland ‡ | Newry and Armagh | ||
| Speaker (1) | Eileen Bell ‡ | North Down | |
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA
‡ Changed affiliation during the term
Members of the Assembly by Area
This list shows the MLAs based on the area they represent, called a constituency. The areas are listed in alphabetical order.
† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA ‡ Changed affiliation during the term
Changes to the Assembly Members
This section explains how the list of MLAs changed after the 2003 election. Sometimes, new members joined, or existing members changed their political party.
New Members Joining (Co-options)
When an MLA left the Assembly because they resigned or passed away, a new person was chosen to take their place. This is called a "co-option."
| Date co-opted | Constituency | Party | Outgoing | Co-optee | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 July 2004 | Foyle | Sinn Féin | Mary Nelis | Raymond McCartney | Mary Nelis resigned. | |
| 29 November 2004 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Bairbre de Brún | Sue Ramsey | Bairbre de Brún resigned. | |
| 25 September 2006 | Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Michael Ferguson | Vacant | Michael Ferguson passed away. No one filled his spot before the Assembly ended. | |
| 9 January 2007 | Lagan Valley | SDLP | Patricia Lewsley | Marietta Farrell | Patricia Lewsley resigned to take a new job helping children and young people in Northern Ireland. | |
| 23 January 2007 | Belfast East | PUP | David Ervine | Dawn Purvis | David Ervine passed away. | |
Members Changing Parties
Sometimes, an MLA decided to leave their original political party and join a different one, or become an independent member.
| Date | Constituency | Name | Previous affiliation | New affiliation | Circumstance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 December 2003 | Lagan Valley | Jeffrey Donaldson | UUP | Ind U | Jeffrey Donaldson left the UUP. | ||
| 18 December 2003 | Lagan Valley | Norah Beare | UUP | Ind U | Norah Beare left the UUP. | ||
| 18 December 2003 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Arlene Foster | UUP | Ind U | Arlene Foster left the UUP. | ||
| 5 January 2004 | Lagan Valley | Jeffrey Donaldson | Ind U | DUP | Jeffrey Donaldson joined the DUP. | ||
| 5 January 2004 | Lagan Valley | Norah Beare | Ind U | DUP | Norah Beare joined the DUP. | ||
| 5 January 2004 | Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Arlene Foster | Ind U | DUP | Arlene Foster joined the DUP. | ||
| 4 July 2005 | Newry and Armagh | Paul Berry | DUP | Ind U | Paul Berry changed his party status. | ||
| 23 November 2005 | Mid Ulster | Francie Molloy | Sinn Féin | Independent Nationalist | Francie Molloy was temporarily suspended by Sinn Féin due to disagreements. He later rejoined the party. | ||
| 10 April 2006 | North Down | Eileen Bell | Alliance | Speaker | Eileen Bell became the Speaker of the Assembly. | ||
| 15 January 2007 | Mid Ulster | Geraldine Dougan | Sinn Féin | Independent Nationalist | Geraldine Dougan resigned from Sinn Féin. | ||
| 2 February 2007 | Newry and Armagh | Davy Hyland | Sinn Féin | Independent Nationalist | Davy Hyland resigned from Sinn Féin. | ||
More Information
- Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1998
- Members of the Northern Ireland Forum elected in 1996
- Northern Ireland MPs
- 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election
