Assembly Speaker Welcomes His Counterparts To Northern Ireland

The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr William Hay MLA, welcomed Speakers/Presiding Officers from the various legislatures from UK and Ireland to Northern Ireland.

Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, Seán Barrett TD, and the Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP joined Speaker Hay to undertake a series of meetings, events and visits.

The Speaker said: "I am delighted to welcome my counterparts to Northern Ireland and Parliament Buildings. It is always a pleasure to engage with colleagues from other legislatures, and it is a particular pleasure to meet with those, who, like me, enjoy the privilege of fulfilling the role of Speaker. This meeting is an excellent way to compare the differences and similarities in the challenges that each of us faces.

"We have scheduled a full programme of activities over two days which include a wide range of engagements. I was delighted to begin our day today (Monday) in my home city of Derry/Londonderry and end it at the home of the Assembly, Parliament Buildings. Tomorrow (Tuesday), Speaker Bercow, the Ceann Comhairle and I will be visiting Grosvenor Grammar School and Queen's University to meet with young people that have a particular interest in politics and legislation. These young people are our future and it is vital that they feel part of the democratic process."

Mr Hay concluded: "By the end of the visit, I am confident that we will have met our aims of engaging with local communities and sharing best practice and knowledge within our legislatures. Although we work in different Chambers, many of the experiences and issues we encounter are very similar. I hope that we can continue to learn from one another, and I look forward to building on this exchange of knowledge and experience in the future."

The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr William Hay MLA, welcomed the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, Seán Barrett TD, and the Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP to Northern Ireland. The Speaker and his guests are pictured in the Senate Chamber in Parliament Buildings.