Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly |
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Logo used to represent the Northern Ireland Assembly
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| Style | Mr. Speaker (Within the house) |
| Appointer | Northern Ireland Assembly (Elected by) |
| Term length | No limits imposed |
| Inaugural holder | Lord Alderdice July 1, 1998 |
| Formation | 1998 |
| Salary | £87,000 annually |
| Website | Office of the Speaker |
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly is like the referee or chairperson of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Their job is to make sure meetings run smoothly. They are chosen by a special vote from all the members. These members are called MLAs.
The Speaker also gets help from a main deputy speaker and two other deputy speakers. Since January 2020, Alex Maskey from Sinn Féin has been the Speaker. He used to be an MLA for Belfast West.
The Speaker's office is in Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast. The Speaker also leads the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission. This group manages the Assembly's daily work. They also chair the Assembly Business Committee.
Contents
How the Speaker's Role Started
The first person to be Speaker was Lord Alderdice. He was chosen in 1998. Before Northern Ireland got its own government in December 1999, this role was called the Initial Presiding Officer. Lord Alderdice left the job in 2004.
Eileen Bell was the Speaker for a short time in 2006 and 2007. She led the Assembly during important changes. On May 8, 2007, she was officially named Speaker.
Later that day, the Assembly chose a new Speaker. William Hay was the only person put forward. He was from the DUP. He was chosen without anyone voting against him.
In May 2011, a new role was created: the Principal Deputy Speaker. Francie Molloy from Sinn Féin was chosen for this new job in June 2011.
How the Speaker is Chosen
When a new Assembly starts, the first thing they do is choose a Speaker. The oldest MLA (who isn't trying to become Speaker) leads this election.
People suggest names for Speaker. The person suggested must agree to be nominated. Then, the MLAs vote. The person chosen must have support from both main groups in the Assembly. This is called a cross-community support.
Once someone is chosen, they become the Speaker. They must then stop being part of any political party. After the Speaker is chosen, they help pick three deputy speakers.
Past Speakers of the Assembly
Here is a list of the people who have been Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly:
| Name | Entered office | Left office | Party | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lord Alderdice | 1 July 1998 | 29 February 2004 | Alliance | Belfast East | |
| 2. | Eileen Bell | 8 May 2007 | 8 May 2007 | Alliance | North Down | |
| 3. | William Hay | 8 May 2007 | 13 October 2014 | DUP | Foyle | |
| 4. | Mitchel McLaughlin | 12 January 2015 | 12 May 2016 | Sinn Féin | South Antrim | |
| 5. | Robin Newton | 12 May 2016 | 11 January 2020 | DUP | Belfast East | |
| 6. | Alex Maskey | 11 January 2020 | Incumbent | Sinn Féin | Belfast West | |
Deputy Speakers
The Speaker gets help from several Deputy Speakers. Here is a list of people who have served in these roles:
| Deputy Speaker (until 28 June 2011) Principal Deputy Speaker (since 28 June 2011) |
Deputy Speaker | Deputy Speaker | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party | Constituency | Name | Party | Constituency | Name | Party | Constituency | |||
| Jane Morrice 31 January 2000 – 7 May 2007 | NIWC | North Down | Sir John Gorman 31 January 2000 – 19 February 2002 | UUP | North Down | Donovan McClelland 31 January 2000 – 7 May 2007 |
SDLP | South Antrim | |||
| Jim Wilson 25 February 2002 – 7 May 2007 | South Antrim | ||||||||||
| Francie Molloy 8 May 2007 – 15 April 2013 | Sinn Féin | Mid Ulster | David McClarty 8 May 2007 – 11 May 2011 | East Londonderry | John Dallat 8 May 2007 – 12 May 2016 |
East Londonderry |
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| Roy Beggs Jr 12 May 2011 – 12 May 2016 | East Antrim | ||||||||||
| Mitchel McLaughlin 15 April 2013 – 12 January 2015 | South Antrim | ||||||||||
| Robin Newton 20 February 2015 – 12 May 2016 | DUP | Belfast East | |||||||||
| Caitríona Ruane 12 May 2016 – 19 Oct 2017 | Sinn Féin | South Down | Danny Kennedy 12 May 2016 – 29 Jun 2017 | Newry and Armagh | Patsy McGlone 12 May 2016 – | Mid Ulster | |||||
| Christopher Stalford 14 January 2020 – 20 February 2022 | DUP | Belfast South | Roy Beggs Jr 11 January 2020 – 31 May 2022 | East Antrim | |||||||
Current Speaker and Deputy Speakers
Here are the people currently holding these important roles:
| Position | Current holder | Term started | Political party | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Alex Maskey |  |
11 January 2020 | Sinn Féin | Belfast West | |
| Principal Deputy Speaker | Vacant |  |
20 February 2022 | |||
| Deputy Speaker | Vacant | |
1 June 2022 | |||
| Deputy Speaker | Patsy McGlone MLA |  |
12 May 2016 | SDLP | Mid Ulster | |
See Also
- Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
- Llywydd of the Senedd (This is the same kind of job in Wales)
- Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
- Speaker of the British House of Commons
- Lord Speaker
- Ceann Comhairle (This is the same kind of job in the lower house of parliament in the Republic of Ireland)
