Northern Ireland Act 1998

The Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c.47) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established a devolved legislature for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after decades of direct rule from Westminster.

It repealed the Government of Ireland Act 1920, parts of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, and established new rules in line with the European Union and the Northern Ireland peace process, subsequent to the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

The Act allows for a devolved Northern Ireland Assembly of 108 members. Membership of the assembly is subject to a pledge of office, which subjects the member to certain requirements with regard to standards and responsibilities. Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom until or unless a majority vote in a referendum determines otherwise. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland holds the power to call for the referendum if appears likely to him that a majority of the voters would express their desire to become part of a United Ireland. The Assembly has the power of modifying any Act of the British Parliament as far as it "is part of the law of Northern Ireland".^[1] They cannot deal, however, with reserved or excepted matters, which are of exclusive competence of the government of the United Kingdom, in consultation with the Republic of Ireland through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.^[2][3] The Assembly has been suspended a number of times since 1998, and was re-established on Tuesday 8 May 2007, subsequent to the St Andrews Agreement of 2006.

Election to the Assembly is by single transferable vote (STV), a form of proportional representation.

See also

• Belfast Agreement
• Ireland Act 1949

Further reading

• Walker, Graham. "Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Devolution, 1945–1979," Journal of British Studies Jan. 2010, Vol. 49, No. 1: 117-142.

Notes

External links

Wikiversity has learning materials about Northern Ireland Act 1998

• Website of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Devolution in the United Kingdom
Devolved areas	National level Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Regional level (in England) Combined authorities Directly elected mayoralties Greater London Authority
Referendums1	English mayoral referendums London, 1998 2012 North East England 2004 Northern Ireland 1998 Scotland 1979 1997 Wales 1979 1997 2011
Heads of devolved governments	Chairs of combined authorities Directly elected mayors London (Mayor) Northern Ireland (FM and dFM) Scotland (FM) Wales (FM)
Devolved legislatures2	Northern Ireland Assembly National Assembly for Wales Scottish Parliament
Devolved administrations3	Northern Ireland Executive Scottish Government Welsh Government
Organisations and laws of the legislatures and governments of the UK and the devolved areas	Commissions (UK Parliament) Kilbrandon Commission Holtham Commission Silk Commission McKay Commission Commissions (devolved legislatures) National Assembly for Wales Richard Commission Holtham Commission Scottish Parliament Calman Commission Smith Commission Devolution acts Greater London Authority Acts 1999 2007 Northern Ireland Acts 1998 2006 Wales Acts 1998 2006 2014 2016–2017 Scotland Acts 1998 2012 2016 Select committees Northern Ireland Affairs Scottish Affairs Welsh Affairs Grand committees England Northern Ireland Scottish Welsh Departments and Territorial Offices (MOJ) Cabinet Office - Devolution Secretariat Ministry of Justice - Devolution Directorate-General Office of the Advocate General for Scotland Northern Ireland Office Scotland Office Wales Office
Elections	London Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Related articles	Current Agreements/Treaties Anglo-Irish Treaty Good Friday Agreement Budget Barnett formula Block grant Constitution of the United Kingdom Reserved and excepted matters West Lothian question Proposals Cornwall Cornish Assembly Cornish Constitutional Convention Mebyon Kernow Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament Devolved English parliament Campaign for an English Parliament Northern England Campaign for the North Yorkshire First Other parts of Southern England Wessex Regionalist Party Scotland Full fiscal autonomy Historical Administrations of England English Regional Assemblies, 1998-2010 Administrations of London London County Council Greater London Council Administrations of Northern Ireland 1922–72 1974 Legislatures of Northern Ireland 1922–72 1973–74 1982–86 Northern Ireland-related legislation of the UK Parliament Ireland, 1886 Ireland, 1893 Ireland, 1914 Ireland, 1920 Irish Free State, 1922 Northern Ireland, 1974 Irish Home Rule movement Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Scotland Act 1978 Scottish Office Sunningdale Agreement Wales Act 1978 Welsh Office
1. Rejected referendums are italicised. The others were fully or partially approved. 2. There is no law-making body for any regionally devolved area. 3. Administrations of regionally devolved areas are omitted. Category