Assembly groups

Don’t know your All Party Assembly Groups from your All Party Groups? Don’t worry we have provided background information on who they are and what they do.

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All Party Assembly Groups and All Party Groups provide a forum by which MLAs and outside organisations and individuals can meet to discuss shared interests in a particular cause or subject.

What is the difference between All Party Assembly Groups and All Party Groups?

Groups whose membership comprises of Assembly Members only are known as All Party Assembly Groups. Groups whose membership is open to both MLAs and non-MLAs are known as All Party Groups. Each Group must have at least 10 MLAs from all three designations must be represented.

Each Group will have a number of nominated officers:

Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson
Secretary, and
Treasurer

The Groups usually meet on a monthly basis (although this varies).

All Party Assembly Groups and All Party Groups must be registered with the Committee on Standards and Privileges in order to use certain Assembly privileges (e.g. booking of rooms etc).

A Register of All Party Assembly Groups/All Party Groups is compiled and maintained by the Clerk of Standards. The main purpose of the Register is to record:

which All Party Assembly Groups/All Party Groups are recognised by the Assembly
who their officers are, and
details of any assistance the Group may receive from outside the Assembly.

Current List of All Party Assembly Groups/All Party Groups

There are currently four All Party Assembly Groups/All Party Groups on the Register a further two Groups - the All Party Group on Minority Ethnic Issues (being set up by Alex Maskey MLA) and the All Party Group on Disability (being set up by Michelle O'Neill, MLA) are due to hold their inaugural meetings shortly.

List of Registered All Party Assembly Groups and All Party Groups (15/1/08)

All Party Assembly Group on Children and Young People

Chair:
Mr Roy Beggs MLA

Administrative support provided by Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI)

Purpose:
To provide a forum to facilitate and enable cross party discussion and co-operation on children and young people’s issues.

Contact:

Elaine McElduff (Policy Officer)
CiNI
Unit 9
40 Montgomery Road
Belfast

t: 02890 401290
e: Elaine@ci-ni.org.uk
w: www.ci-ni.org/index.php/all_party_group_on_children

All Party Assembly Group on Roads Safety

Chair:
Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson, MP MLA

Purpose:
To provide a forum by which Members of the Assembly can play an active role in the promotion of roads safety both in the Assembly and in the public domain, and to help reduce deaths and injury on the roads.

Contact:
Mrs Naomi Long
c/o 26 Upper Newtownards Road

t: 02890 472004

All Party Pro-Life Assembly Group

Chair:
Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson, MP MLA

Purpose:
To uphold the sanctity of life, including the life of the unborn child and to promote a pro-life perspective in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Contact:
Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson, MP MLA
29 Castle Street, Lisburn
BT27 4DH