View source for Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)

{{Short description|Representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly since 1998}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2017}}
[[File:NI Assembly.svg|thumb|right|200px|Northern Ireland Assembly logo]]
{{Politics of Northern Ireland}}

'''Members of the Legislative Assembly''' ('''MLAs'''; {{langx|ga|Comhaltaí den Tionól Reachtach}}; {{langx|sco-ulster|Laa-Makkan Forgaitherars}}) are representatives elected by the voters to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]].

== About ==
The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 elected members – five from each of [[List of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland|18 constituencies]], the boundaries of which are the same as those used for electing members of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]]. Its role is primarily to scrutinise and make decisions on the issues dealt with by Government Departments and to consider and make legislation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Summary |url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/summary/new_summary.htm#2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419110258/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/summary/new_summary.htm |archive-date=19 April 2008 |website=Northern Ireland Assembly}}</ref>

== Responsibilities ==
MLAs are responsible for representing their constituents in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]], and may also hold a number of [[List of Northern Ireland ministers, government departments and executive agencies|executive roles]] within the [[Northern Ireland Executive]]. 

MLAs are also responsible for proposing, debating, and voting on law in policy areas devolved to the Assembly.

MLAs may also be present on committees relating to specific policy areas, intended to serve a scrutiny function, and to examine bills within that subject area as part of the process of the bill becoming a law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-29 |title=Committees of the Northern Ireland Assembly |url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/committees/ |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=Northern Ireland Assembly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129173704/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/committees/ |archive-date=29 November 2023 }}</ref> 

==Salary==
The basic salary for an MLA is £55,000, while the [[Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly|Speaker]], [[Northern Ireland Executive|ministers]] and committee chairs receive an additional 'Office Holders Salary' on top of their basic salary.<ref name="niassembly.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/your-mlas/members-salaries-and-expenses/members-expenses-2013---2014-april-2013---march-2014/members-salaries-2013-2014/|title=Members' Salaries 2013-2014|work=Northern Ireland Assembly|access-date=26 September 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200515/http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/your-mlas/members-salaries-and-expenses/members-expenses-2013---2014-april-2013---march-2014/members-salaries-2013-2014/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Previous similar legislators ===
From 22 June 1921 until 30 March 1972 MPs of the [[House of Commons of Northern Ireland]] and Senators of the [[Senate of Northern Ireland]] in the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] legislated for Northern Ireland like MLAs do today.

=== Northern Ireland Assembly legislators ===
Following a [[1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum|referendum]] on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and the granting of [[Royal Assent]] to the [[Northern Ireland Act 1998]] on 19 November 1998; a [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and [[Northern Ireland Executive]] were established by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]]. The process was known as [[devolution]] and was set up to give Northern Ireland devolved legislative powers. MLAs are responsible for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

=== 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election ===
The [[Assembly Members (Reduction of Numbers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016]] resulted in the number of MLAs being reduced from 108 to 90. This change was first implemented in the [[2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election|snap Assembly election]] in March 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/voters-to-send-90-members-to-assembly-after-reduction-in-mlas-brought-forward-35371843.html|title=Voters to send 90 Members to Assembly after reduction in MLAs brought forward|newspaper=Belfasttelegraph |date=16 January 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025172646/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/voters-to-send-90-members-to-assembly-after-reduction-in-mlas-brought-forward-35371843.html |archive-date= Oct 25, 2022 }}</ref>

== Members of the Legislative Assembly ==
* [[7th Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2022]]
* [[6th Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2017]]
* [[5th Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2016]]
* [[4th Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2011]]
* [[3rd Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007]]
* [[2nd Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2003]]
* [[1st Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1998]]
* [[Members of the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1982]]
* [[Members of the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly|Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 1973]]

== See also ==
* [[List of female members of the Northern Ireland Assembly]]
* [[Member of Parliament (UK)|Member of Parliament]]
* [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]]
* [[Member of the Senedd]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.niassembly.gov.uk Northern Ireland Assembly]

{{NI elected representatives}}
{{Northern Ireland Assembly}}

[[Category:Northern Ireland Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly| ]]


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