How is the Northern Ireland Assembly elected, and what does it do?
The Northern Ireland Assembly: how MLAs are elected by single transferable vote across eighteen constituencies, and the Assembly's role in making laws, scrutinising the Executive and representing the public.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Covers how the ninety MLAs are elected by single transferable vote across eighteen constituencies, the Assembly's three jobs of legislating, scrutinising the Executive and representing constituents, designation, and cross-community voting.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain what the Northern Ireland Assembly is, how its members are elected, and what it does. CCEA examiners reward precise knowledge of the single transferable vote (STV), the eighteen constituencies and ninety MLAs, and the Assembly's three jobs: making laws, scrutinising the Executive and representing the public. You should also understand designation and cross-community voting, the rules that exist because Northern Ireland is governed by power-sharing.
What the Assembly is
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It sits at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, in Belfast. Devolution means the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster has handed certain powers to Northern Ireland so that decisions on those matters are made locally rather than in London. The Assembly was created by the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 1998 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998 that followed.
How MLAs are elected
The members of the Assembly are called Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs. There are ninety of them. Northern Ireland is divided into eighteen constituencies, the same areas used to elect Members of Parliament to Westminster, and each constituency elects five MLAs.
Because each constituency returns several members in proportion to preferences, the result roughly matches each party's share of support. STV therefore produces a multi-party Assembly in which unionist, nationalist and other parties are all represented, rather than the single-party majorities that first-past-the-post tends to produce at Westminster.
What the Assembly does
The Assembly has three main functions.
- Making laws. It passes legislation on transferred matters. A bill is introduced, debated, examined in committee, amended and voted on; if passed and given Royal Assent it becomes an Act.
- Scrutinising the Executive. The Assembly holds the government to account: it approves the budget, debates policy and questions ministers, and each department is shadowed by a statutory committee of MLAs that examines bills and that department's work.
- Representing the public. The ninety MLAs represent their constituents, raise local concerns and reflect the range of opinion across Northern Ireland through debate and votes.
Designation and cross-community voting
Because Northern Ireland is governed by power-sharing, the Assembly has special rules to protect both main communities.
This emphasis on cross-community consent is what makes the Assembly distinctive: it is meant to ensure government reflects both traditions. Critics from across the spectrum argue it can also entrench division or allow business to be blocked, a point examined in the work on the Executive and power-sharing.
Worked example: answering "Explain the functions of the Assembly"
Try this
Q1. How many MLAs are there, and how many are elected in each constituency? [2 marks]
- Cue. Ninety MLAs in total; five are elected in each of the eighteen constituencies.
Q2. Name the voting system used to elect MLAs. [1 mark]
- Cue. The single transferable vote (STV), a form of proportional representation.
Q3. State the three main functions of the Assembly, and explain what designation means. [4 marks]
- Cue. Making laws on transferred matters, scrutinising the Executive, and representing the public; designation is registering as Unionist, Nationalist or Other for cross-community votes.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 1 (style)4 marksDescribe how Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected.Show worked answer →
A knowledge question testing AO1. Give a clear, accurate description with the key terms.
System: MLAs are elected using the single transferable vote, a form of proportional representation. Northern Ireland is divided into eighteen constituencies, the same areas used for Westminster elections, and each returns five MLAs, giving ninety in total.
How STV works: voters rank candidates in order of preference, writing 1, 2, 3 and so on. A candidate needs to reach a set quota to be elected. Surplus votes from elected candidates, and the votes of the lowest candidates who are eliminated, are transferred according to next preferences until all five seats are filled.
Top answers name the system (STV), the number of constituencies and seats, and show they understand that ranking preferences and transfers make the result roughly proportional.
CCEA Unit 1 (style)10 marksExplain the main functions of the Northern Ireland Assembly.Show worked answer →
An explanation question testing AO1 and AO2. Take each function in turn and develop it; do not just list.
Making laws: the Assembly passes legislation on devolved or transferred matters such as health, education, agriculture, justice and the environment. A bill is debated, examined in committee and voted on before it can become law, so the Assembly is Northern Ireland's law-making body for the powers it holds.
Scrutinising the Executive: the Assembly holds ministers and the Executive to account. It approves the budget, debates policy, and its statutory committees shadow each department, questioning ministers and examining bills. This check is meant to keep government answerable.
Representing the public: ninety MLAs represent their constituents, raise local issues, and reflect the range of opinion in Northern Ireland through debate.
A strong answer explains all three functions with examples and notes that scrutiny and representation, not just law-making, are central to the Assembly's job.
Related dot points
- The Northern Ireland Executive: how ministers are appointed by the d'Hondt method, the joint roles of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and power-sharing and consociationalism as the basis of devolved government.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to the Northern Ireland Executive. Covers the d'Hondt method of appointing ministers, the joint and equal roles of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, power-sharing and consociationalism, departments and cross-community working, and why the Executive can be unstable.
- The Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement and the framework of devolution: the principle of consent, the three strands, and the key provisions on power-sharing, decommissioning, prisoner releases and policing reform.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement and the framework of devolution. Covers the principle of consent, the three strands, the key provisions of power-sharing and consociationalism, decommissioning, the early release of prisoners and reform of policing, and how the Agreement underpins the Assembly and Executive.
- Elections and electoral systems: how first-past-the-post and the single transferable vote work, where each is used in the UK and Northern Ireland, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to elections and electoral systems. Covers how first-past-the-post (FPTP) and the single transferable vote (STV) work, where each is used in the UK and Northern Ireland, proportional representation, and a balanced account of the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
- Political parties: their role and functions in a democracy, the difference between the Northern Ireland and wider UK party systems, manifestos, and how parties form or share government.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to political parties. Covers the role and functions of parties in a democracy, manifestos, the difference between the multi-party power-sharing system in Northern Ireland and the larger parties at Westminster, and how parties form or share government, presented neutrally and even-handedly.
- The UK Parliament at Westminster: the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch, and Parliament's roles in making law, scrutinising government and representing the public, including Northern Ireland's place at Westminster.
A CCEA GCSE Government and Politics guide to the UK Parliament. Covers the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the role of the monarch, the functions of making law, scrutinising government and representation, parliamentary sovereignty, how a bill becomes law, and how Northern Ireland is represented at Westminster.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE Government and Politics specification — CCEA (2017)