Information about the Northern Ireland Assembly

The Assembly is the government for Northern Ireland. It is responsible for making laws in Northern Ireland. Laws are the rules which tell us what we can do. The Assembly meets at Parliament Buildings, Stormont Estate, in Belfast.

There are 90 people in the Northern Ireland Assembly who are elected. They are called MLAs. Elected means they have been chosen by the people who live in Northern Ireland.

Plenary sessions are when all of the MLAs meet in the Assembly to talk about things that are important for people in Northern Ireland. At these meetings they make laws and decide how much money to spend on different things such as hospitals, schools etc.

These meetings are held on Mondays and Tuesdays. You can watch them on the Assembly’s website or you can go to the Assembly and watch it.

Assembly committees are groups of 9 MLAs. Each committee works on a different subject for example health or education. Committees usually meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and you can attend these meetings to hear what the MLAs are talking about.