43 or 35?
How many MLAs should we have? A written answer from the First and Deputy First Ministers to the DUP's Alastair Ross concludes that if we had the same number of politicians to people as Scotland we would have just 43 MLAs, and if we followed the Welsh example we would have only 35 Assembly members.
Of course radical surgery of that kind seems unlikely but the answer points out that the Westminster coalition is due to launch a redrawing of the parliamentary constituency boundaries and this may well have a knock on impact on the Assembly. Indeed the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to say more about this process this afternoon.
You can find the full text of the written answer in the extended entry.
Assembly Members
Mr A Ross asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for their assessment of the number of
Assembly Members for the electorate in Northern Ireland compared to Scotland and Wales.
(AQO 1447/10)
First Minister and deputy First Minister: In terms of numerical comparison, the people of Northern
Ireland have, per capita, more MLAs than their counterparts in Scotland and Wales in respect of
their equivalent institutions. Scotland, for example, with a population of just over 5 million, elects
129 members to the Scottish Parliament which, if translated to Northern Ireland, would suggest
that the Assembly should have around 43 rather than 108 members. Using the Welsh example, the
equivalent figure would be 35. Clearly, however, any future consideration of the optimum size of the
Northern Ireland Assembly would require consideration of a wide range of issues other than numerical
comparisons of this nature.
However, the United Kingdom Government has announced its intention to bring forward legislation
to provide for a reduction in the number of seats in the House of Commons and more equally sized
parliamentary constituencies; and that the Boundary Commission will be empowered to draw up the
new constituencies during the current Parliament. As Section 33 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
provides for six members of the Assembly to be returned for the parliamentary constituencies in
Northern Ireland, any reduction in the number of these constituencies would have a direct impact on
the future size of the Assembly.
I'm 
Comments