6th Northern Ireland Assembly explained

6th Northern Ireland Assembly
Body:	Assembly
Country:	Northern Ireland
Meeting Place:	Parliament Buildings, Stormont
Election:	2017 assembly election
Government:	Executive of the 6th Assembly
Term Start:	2 March 2017
Term End:	27 March 2022
Before:	5th Assembly
Membership1:	90
Chamber1 Leader1 Type:	Speaker
Chamber1 Leader1:	Alex Maskey
Chamber1 Leader2 Type:	First Minister
Chamber1 Leader2:	Arlene Foster / Paul Givan
Chamber1 Leader3 Type:	Deputy First Minister
Chamber1 Leader3:	Michelle O'Neill
Session1 Start:	13 March 2017
Session1 End:	13 March 2017
Session2 Start:	21 October 2019
Session2 End:	18 August 2020
Session3 Start:	7 September 2020
Session3 End:	16 March 2021
Session4 Start:	9 September 2021
Session4 End:	24 March 2022

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%.^[1]

Only five (rather than six) MLAs were elected from each of the 18 constituencies, following the Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.^[2] The reduction negatively affected Unionist candidates whose bloc lost its majority for the first time in the history of the Assembly. The SDLP was also negatively impacted, losing its only West Belfast seat.^[3]

Incumbent Speaker Robin Newton informally convened the Assembly on 22 March to pay tribute to the former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who had died the day before.^[4]

However, with the DUP and Sinn Féin unable to agree to form their mandatory coalition government, the Assembly did not formally convene. On 27 April, talks were paused until after a snap general election on 8 June, with a deadline of 29 June 2017 for the parties to reach agreement,^[5] but this deadline was repeatedly extended over the next three years. The DUP, Sinn Féin and other parties finally agreed terms on 10 January 2020.^[6]

Party strengths

Party		Designation	Mar 2017 election	Mar 2022 end
●		Unionist	28	26
●		Nationalist	27	26
●	Social Democratic and Labour Party	Nationalist	12	12
●		Unionist	10	10
●	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	Other	8	7
	Green Party Northern Ireland	Other	2	2
		Unionist	1	1
	People Before Profit	Other	1	1
	Independent	Other	0	1
	Independent Unionist	Unionist	1	3
		None	0	1
Totals by Designation		Unionist	40	40
		Nationalist	39	38
		Other	11	11
		None	0	1
Total			90	90
● = Northern Ireland Executive

Graphical representation

Parties arranged roughly on the nationalist-unionist spectrum

MLAs by party

Party		Name	Constituency	Member since
	Democratic Unionist Party (26)	Maurice Bradley	East Londonderry	5 May 2016
		Paula Bradley	Belfast North	5 May 2011
		Keith Buchanan	Mid Ulster	5 May 2016
		Thomas Buchanan	West Tyrone	26 November 2003
		Jonathan Buckley	Upper Bann	2 March 2017
		Joanne Bunting	Belfast East	5 May 2016
		Pam Cameron	South Antrim	5 May 2011
		Trevor Clarke †	South Antrim	28 June 2017
		Diane Dodds †	Upper Bann	9 January 2020
		Stephen Dunne †	North Down	28 June 2021
		Deborah Erskine †	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	11 October 2021
		Paul Frew	North Antrim	21 June 2010
		Paul Givan	Lagan Valley	10 June 2010
		Harry Harvey †	Strangford	12 September 2019
		David Hilditch	East Antrim	25 June 1998
		William Humphrey	Belfast North	13 September 2010
		William Irwin	Newry and Armagh	7 March 2007
		Gordon Lyons	East Antrim	19 August 2015
		Michelle McIlveen	Strangford	7 March 2007
		Gary Middleton	Foyle	13 April 2015
		Robin Newton	Belfast East	26 November 2003
		Edwin Poots †	Belfast South	25 June 1998
		Paul Rankin †	Lagan Valley	14 March 2022
		George Robinson	East Londonderry	26 November 2003
		Mervyn Storey	North Antrim	26 November 2003
		Peter Weir	Strangford	25 June 1998
	Sinn Féin (26)	Caoimhe Archibald	East Londonderry	5 May 2016
		Cathal Boylan	Newry and Armagh	7 March 2007
		Nicola Brogan ††	West Tyrone	6 November 2020
		Pádraig Delargy ††	Foyle	13 September 2021
		Linda Dillon	Mid Ulster	5 May 2016
		Jemma Dolan	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	2 March 2017
		Sinéad Ennis	South Down	2 March 2017
		Ciara Ferguson ††	Foyle	13 September 2021
		Órlaithí Flynn	Belfast West	7 December 2016
		Colm Gildernew †	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	20 June 2017
		Deirdre Hargey †	Belfast South	9 January 2020
		Declan Kearney	South Antrim	5 May 2016
		Gerry Kelly	Belfast North	25 June 1998
		Liz Kimmins †	Newry and Armagh	9 January 2020
		Declan McAleer	West Tyrone	5 May 2011
		Philip McGuigan	North Antrim	30 August 2016
		Maolíosa McHugh †	West Tyrone	28 May 2019
		Aine Murphy †	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	2 July 2021
		Aisling Reilly †	Belfast West	14 October 2021
		Emma Rogan †	South Down	20 June 2017
		Emma Sheerin †	Mid Ulster	4 December 2018
		Conor Murphy	Newry and Armagh	8 June 2015
		Carál Ní Chuilín	Belfast North	7 March 2007
		John O'Dowd	Upper Bann	26 November 2003
		Michelle O'Neill	Mid Ulster	7 March 2007
		Pat Sheehan	Belfast West	7 December 2010
	Social Democratic and Labour Party (12)	Sinéad Bradley	South Down	5 May 2016
		Pat Catney	Lagan Valley	2 March 2017
		Mark H. Durkan	Foyle	5 May 2011
		Cara Hunter †	East Londonderry	18 May 2020
		Dolores Kelly	Upper Bann	2 March 2017
		Nichola Mallon	Belfast North	5 May 2016
		Daniel McCrossan	West Tyrone	7 January 2016
		Patsy McGlone	Mid Ulster	26 November 2003
		Colin McGrath	South Down	5 May 2016
		Sinead McLaughlin †	Foyle	10 January 2020
		Justin McNulty	Newry and Armagh	5 May 2016
		Matthew O'Toole †	Belfast South	11 January 2020
	Ulster Unionist Party (10)	Steve Aiken	South Antrim	5 May 2016
		Andy Allen	Belfast East	15 September 2015
		Rosemary Barton	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	5 May 2016
		Doug Beattie	Upper Bann	5 May 2016
		Roy Beggs, Jr.	East Antrim	25 June 1998
		Robbie Butler	Lagan Valley	5 May 2016
		Alan Chambers	North Down	5 May 2016
		Mike Nesbitt	Strangford	5 May 2011
		John Stewart	East Antrim	2 March 2017
		Robin Swann	North Antrim	5 May 2011
	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (7)	Kellie Armstrong	Strangford	5 May 2016
		Paula Bradshaw	Belfast South	5 May 2016
		Stewart Dickson	East Antrim	5 May 2011
		John Blair †	South Antrim	27 June 2018
		Naomi Long ††	Belfast East	9 January 2020
		Chris Lyttle	Belfast East	5 July 2010
		Andrew Muir †	North Down	16 December 2019
	Green Party Northern Ireland (2)	Clare Bailey	Belfast South	5 May 2016
		Rachel Woods †	North Down	7 October 2019
	People Before Profit (1)	Gerry Carroll	Belfast West	5 May 2016
	Traditional Unionist Voice (1)	Jim Allister	North Antrim	5 May 2011
	Independent Unionist (3)	Alex Easton ‡	North Down	26 November 2003
		Claire Sugden	East Londonderry	6 May 2014
		Jim Wells ‡	South Down	25 June 1998
	Independent (1)	Trevor Lunn ‡	Lagan Valley	7 March 2007
	Speaker (1)	Alex Maskey ‡	Belfast West	25 June 1998

† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA

‡ Changed affiliation during the term

MLAs by constituency

Constituency	Name	Party
Belfast East	Andy Allen		Ulster Unionist Party
	Joanne Bunting		Democratic Unionist Party
	Naomi Long ††		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Chris Lyttle		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Robin Newton		Democratic Unionist Party
Belfast North	Paula Bradley		Democratic Unionist Party
	William Humphrey		Democratic Unionist Party
	Gerry Kelly		Sinn Féin
	Nichola Mallon		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Carál Ní Chuilín		Sinn Féin
Belfast South	Clare Bailey		Green Party Northern Ireland
	Paula Bradshaw		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Deirdre Hargey †		Sinn Féin
	Matthew O'Toole †		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Edwin Poots †		Democratic Unionist Party
Belfast West	Gerry Carroll		People Before Profit
	Órlaithí Flynn		Sinn Féin
	Alex Maskey ‡		Speaker
	Aisling Reilly †		Sinn Féin
	Pat Sheehan		Sinn Féin
East Antrim	Roy Beggs, Jr.		Ulster Unionist Party
	Stewart Dickson		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	David Hilditch		Democratic Unionist Party
	Gordon Lyons		Democratic Unionist Party
	John Stewart		Ulster Unionist Party
East Londonderry	Caoimhe Archibald		Sinn Féin
	Maurice Bradley		Democratic Unionist Party
	Cara Hunter †		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	George Robinson		Democratic Unionist Party
	Claire Sugden		Independent Unionist
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	Rosemary Barton		Ulster Unionist Party
	Jemma Dolan		Sinn Féin
	Deborah Erskine †		Democratic Unionist Party
	Colm Gildernew †		Sinn Féin
	Aine Murphy †		Sinn Féin
Foyle	Pádraig Delargy ††		Sinn Féin
	Mark H. Durkan		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Ciara Ferguson ††		Sinn Féin
	Sinead McLaughlin †		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Gary Middleton		Democratic Unionist Party
Lagan Valley	Robbie Butler		Ulster Unionist Party
	Pat Catney		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Paul Givan		Democratic Unionist Party
	Trevor Lunn ‡		Independent
	Paul Rankin †		Democratic Unionist Party
Mid Ulster	Keith Buchanan		Democratic Unionist Party
	Linda Dillon		Sinn Féin
	Patsy McGlone		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Michelle O'Neill		Sinn Féin
	Emma Sheerin †		Sinn Féin
Newry and Armagh	Cathal Boylan		Sinn Féin
	William Irwin		Democratic Unionist Party
	Liz Kimmins †		Sinn Féin
	Justin McNulty		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Conor Murphy		Sinn Féin
North Antrim	Jim Allister		Traditional Unionist Voice
	Paul Frew		Democratic Unionist Party
	Philip McGuigan		Sinn Féin
	Mervyn Storey		Democratic Unionist Party
	Robin Swann		Ulster Unionist Party
North Down	Alan Chambers		Ulster Unionist Party
	Stephen Dunne †		Democratic Unionist Party
	Alex Easton ‡		Independent Unionist
	Andrew Muir †		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Rachel Woods †		Green Party Northern Ireland
South Antrim	Steve Aiken		Ulster Unionist Party
	John Blair †		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Pam Cameron		Democratic Unionist Party
	Trevor Clarke †		Democratic Unionist Party
	Declan Kearney		Sinn Féin
South Down	Sinéad Bradley		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Sinéad Ennis		Sinn Féin
	Colin McGrath		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Emma Rogan †		Sinn Féin
	Jim Wells ‡		Independent Unionist
Strangford	Kellie Armstrong		Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
	Harry Harvey †		Democratic Unionist Party
	Michelle McIlveen		Democratic Unionist Party
	Mike Nesbitt		Ulster Unionist Party
	Peter Weir		Democratic Unionist Party
Upper Bann	Doug Beattie		Ulster Unionist Party
	Jonathan Buckley		Democratic Unionist Party
	Diane Dodds †		Democratic Unionist Party
	Dolores Kelly		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	John O'Dowd		Sinn Féin
West Tyrone	Nicola Brogan ††		Sinn Féin
	Thomas Buchanan		Democratic Unionist Party
	Declan McAleer		Sinn Féin
	Daniel McCrossan		Social Democratic and Labour Party
	Maolíosa McHugh †		Sinn Féin

† Co-opted to replace an elected MLA‡ Changed affiliation during the term

Changes since the election

† Co-options

Date co-opted	Constituency	Party		Outgoing	Co-optee	Reason
20 June 2017	West Tyrone		Barry McElduff	Catherine Kelly	Barry McElduff elected as Member of Parliament for West Tyrone in the 2017 general election.^[7]
20 June 2017	Foyle		Elisha McCallion	Karen Mullan	Elisha McCallion elected as Member of Parliament for Foyle in the 2017 general election.
20 June 2017	Fermanagh and South Tyrone		Michelle Gildernew	Colm Gildernew	Michelle Gildernew elected as Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the 2017 general election.
20 June 2017	South Down		Chris Hazzard	Emma Rogan	Chris Hazzard elected as Member of Parliament for South Down in the 2017 general election.
28 June 2017	South Antrim		Paul Girvan	Trevor Clarke	Paul Girvan elected as Member of Parliament for South Antrim in the 2017 general election.^[8]
27 June 2018	South Antrim		David Ford	John Blair	David Ford resigned.^[9]
4 December 2018	Mid Ulster		Ian Milne	Emma Sheerin	Ian Milne was co-opted to Mid Ulster District Council.^[10]
28 May 2019	West Tyrone		Michaela Boyle	Maoliosa McHugh	Michaela Boyle was elected to Derry and Strabane District Council in the 2019 Northern Ireland local elections.
1 July 2019	Belfast East		Naomi Long	Máire Hendron	Naomi Long elected as Member of the European Parliament for Northern Ireland in the 2019 European Parliament Election.
12 September 2019	Strangford		Simon Hamilton	Harry Harvey	Simon Hamilton resigned.
7 October 2019	North Down		Steven Agnew	Rachel Woods	Steven Agnew resigned.
16 December 2019	North Down		Stephen Farry	Andrew Muir	Stephen Farry was elected as Member of Parliament for North Down in the 2019 general election.
9 January 2020	Belfast East		Máire Hendron	Naomi Long	Máire Hendron resigned.
9 January 2020	Upper Bann		Carla Lockhart	Diane Dodds	Carla Lockhart was elected as Member of Parliament for Upper Bann in the 2019 general election.
9 January 2020	Newry and Armagh		Megan Fearon	Liz Kimmins	Megan Fearon resigned.
9 January 2020	Belfast South		Máirtín Ó Muilleoir	Deirdre Hargey	Máirtín Ó Muilleoir resigned.
9 January 2020	Foyle		Colum Eastwood	Sinead McLaughlin	Colum Eastwood was elected as Member of Parliament for Foyle in the 2019 general election.
9 January 2020	Belfast South		Claire Hanna	Matthew O'Toole	Claire Hanna was elected as Member of Parliament for Belfast South in the 2019 general election.
10 February 2020	Foyle		Raymond McCartney	Martina Anderson	Raymond McCartney resigned.^[11]
18 May 2020	East Londonderry		John Dallat	Cara Hunter	John Dallat died.^[12]
6 November 2020	West Tyrone		Catherine Kelly	Nicola Brogan	Catherine Kelly resigned.^[13]
28 June 2021	North Down		Gordon Dunne	Stephen Dunne	Gordon Dunne died.^[14]
4 July 2021	Fermanagh and South Tyrone		Sean Lynch	Aine Murphy	Sean Lynch resigned.^[15]
13 September 2021	Foyle		Karen Mullan	Pádraig Delargy	Karen Mullan resigned.^[16]
13 September 2021	Foyle		Martina Anderson	Ciara Ferguson	Martina Anderson resigned.
11 October 2021	Fermanagh and South Tyrone		Arlene Foster	Deborah Erskine	Arlene Foster resigned.^[17]
14 October 2021	Belfast West		Fra McCann	Aisling Reilly	Fra McCann resigned.^[18]
7 March 2022	Belfast South		Christopher Stalford	Edwin Poots	Christopher Stalford died.^[19]
14 March 2022	Lagan Valley		Edwin Poots	Paul Rankin	Edwin Poots resigned in order to be transferred to Belfast South.^[20]

‡ Changes in affiliation

Date	Constituency	Name	Previous affiliation		New affiliation		Circumstance
9 May 2018	South Down	Jim Wells			DUP whip withdrawn from Jim Wells following criticisms of the party leadership.^[21]
11 January 2020	Belfast West	Alex Maskey			Alex Maskey elected Speaker of the Assembly at its first sitting.
2 March 2020	Lagan Valley	Trevor Lunn			Trevor Lunn resigned from Alliance due to "internal difficulties".^[22]
1 July 2021	North Down	Alex Easton			Alex Easton resigned from the DUP following changes in the party leadership.^[23]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Northern Ireland Assembly election 2017 results. BBC News. 28 April 2017. 16 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201016042254/https://www.bbc.com/news/election/ni2017/results. live.
2. Web site: Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. legislation.gov.uk. 28 April 2017. 27 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142325/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2016/29. live.
3. News: Assembly election 'a brutal result for unionism'. McClafferty. Enda. BBC News. 29 April 2017. 22 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170422180531/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-39166355. live.
4. Web site: Tributes to mark the passing of former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. YouTube. 29 April 2017. 14 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614210805/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TixGpWe8X70. live.
5. News: Stormont talks paused until after General Election. ITV News. 29 April 2017. 29 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170429015808/http://www.itv.com/news/utv/update/2017-04-27/stormont-talks-paused-until-after-general-election/. live.
6. News: Parties return to Stormont after striking deal. 2020-01-11. 2020-01-11. en-GB. 11 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200111144225/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-51071827. live.
7. Web site: New MLAs. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. 2 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170825071000/http://www.eoni.org.uk/News/New-MLAs. 25 August 2017. dead.
8. Web site: New MLA - South Antrim Constituency. The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland. 2 July 2017. 8 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170808144253/http://www.eoni.org.uk/News/New-MLA-South-Antrim-Constituency. live.
9. News: First openly gay MLA takes Stormont seat. McCormack. Jayne. 2018-06-27. BBC News. 2018-08-21. en-GB. 8 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190408163423/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-44625829. live.
10. Web site: Sinn Féin co-opt Emma Sheerin in Mid Ulster. 2018-11-24. The Irish News. en. 2019-03-25. 24 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181124041216/http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/11/24/news/sinn-fe-in-co-opt-emma-sheerin-in-mid-ulster-1492630/. live.
11. Web site: MLA Details: Ms Martina Anderson . Aims.niassembly.gov.uk . 2015-10-09 . 1 October 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151001074549/http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&aff=2336&per=207&sel=1&ind=0&prv=1 . live .
12. News: East Londonderry: Hunter replaces John Dallat as MLA . 18 May 2020 . BBC News . 18 May 2020 . 21 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200521161554/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-52703525 . live .
13. News: Nicola Brogan to replace Sinn Fein's Catherine Kelly as West Tyrone MLA following Covid payment scandal. . 6 November 2020 . Belfast Telegraph . 6 November 2020 . 6 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106102524/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/nicola-brogan-to-replace-sfs-catherine-kelly-as-west-tyrone-mla-following-covid-payment-scandal-39713992.html . live .
14. News: Like father like son for Dunne family as councillor co-opted as DUP MLA. . 23 June 2021 . BBC . 16 June 2021 . 24 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624211022/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/like-father-like-son-for-dunne-family-as-councillor-co-opted-as-dup-mla-3276079 . live .
15. News: Michelle O'Neill pays tribute to Sinn Fein MLA Sean Lynch as he steps down after 10 years. . 4 August 2021 . Belfast Telegraph . 4 July 2021 . 4 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210804225802/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/michelle-oneill-pays-tribute-to-sinn-fein-mla-sean-lynch-as-he-steps-down-after-10-years-40612513.html . live .
16. News: Sinn Féin selects Pádraig Delargy and Ciara Ferguson as new Foyle MLAs . 5 October 2021 . BBC . 8 September 2021.
17. News: Deborah Erskine replaces Arlene Foster as Fermanagh-South Tyrone MLA. 13 October 2021. BBC News. 8 October 2021.
18. News: Sinn Fein selects former world handball champion Aisling Reilly as new west Belfast MLA . 18 October 2021. Belfast Telegraph . 13 October 2021.
19. News: DUP confirm Edwin Poots will take Christopher Stalford's South Belfast seat. 7 March 2022. BBC News. 7 March 2022.
20. News: Declaration of Return of New MLA - Lagan Valley Constituency. 14 March 2022. The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland. 14 March 2022.
21. News: DUP's Wells has the whip withdrawn after attack on leadership. Belfasttelegraph. 20 May 2018. 20 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180520193643/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dups-wells-has-the-whip-withdrawn-after-attack-on-leadership-36887820.html. live.
22. News: Trevor Lunn resigns from Alliance Party . 2 March 2020 . Belfast Telegraph . 2 March 2020 . 3 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200303182307/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/trevor-lunn-resigns-from-alliance-party-39006363.html . live .
23. News: Breen . Suzanne . 2021-07-01 . Fresh DUP crisis as MLA Alex Easton quits accusing party of having 'no respect, discipline or decency' . Belfast Telegraph . 2021-07-01 . 1 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210701053254/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/fresh-dup-crisis-as-mla-alex-easton-quits-accusing-party-of-having-no-respect-discipline-or-decency-40601049.html . live .