Key term
CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics 4830
The Northern Ireland Assembly
Topic overviewThe Good Friday Agreement: origins and principlesThe three strands of the AgreementRights, equality, policing and prisoners under the AgreementImplementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspensionSubsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New ApproachComposition, elections and designationCross-community voting and the petition of concernThe Assembly's representative functionThe Assembly's legislative functionThe Assembly's scrutiny functionThe Assembly's independence of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive Committee
Topic overviewThe composition of the Executive CommitteeAppointing the Executive and the d'Hondt formulaThe First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Office of the First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Pledge of Office and the Ministerial CodeHow the Executive determines legislationThe Programme for Government and the budgetDivisions within the ExecutiveEvaluating the Executive's policy makingThe Executive as a power-sharing governmentCollapse, restoration and reform of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Political Parties
Topic overviewThe role and functions of political partiesThe Northern Ireland party systemThe Democratic Unionist PartySinn FéinThe Ulster Unionist PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour PartyThe Alliance PartySmaller parties and independentsChanging party strategies since 1998Changing electoral support since 1998Explaining electoral change
The UK Parliament
Topic overviewRepresentation in the House of CommonsLegislation and the passage of a bill through the CommonsScrutiny of government on the floor of the CommonsSelect committees and the scrutiny of governmentThe effectiveness of the House of CommonsComposition and representation in the House of LordsThe House of Lords and the legislative processScrutiny and committee work in the House of LordsThe effectiveness of the House of LordsThe fusion of powers and executive control of ParliamentParty discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege
The UK Executive
Topic overviewThe role of the Prime MinisterThe powers of the Prime MinisterThe Cabinet and its roleCabinet committees, the Cabinet Office and the core executiveMinisterial responsibilityLimitations on the powers of the Prime MinisterThe Executive and its control of the legislaturePrime ministerial government or cabinet governmentThe civil service, special advisers and the centre of government
Option: The British JudiciaryJudiciary
Topic overviewThe judiciary, the rule of law and the separation of powersThe courts and the United Kingdom Supreme CourtJudicial review and its groundsJudicial review and the Human Rights ActLandmark rulings against the ExecutiveJudicial inquiriesWhat secures judicial independenceTensions between the judiciary and the ExecutiveThe effectiveness of the judiciary in holding the Executive to account
Option: Pressure Groups in the UKPressure groups
Topic overviewThe concept of a pressure groupCause and sectional pressure groupsInsider and outsider pressure groupsSocial movementsPressure groups and the policy-making processInsider tactics: lobbying, consultation and the courtsOutsider tactics: protest, direct action and the mediaWhat makes a pressure group successfulPluralist, elitist and New Right interpretations of impactRegulating lobbying and the debate about influence
The Northern Ireland Assembly
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS Unit 1
What The Northern Ireland Assembly covers
The Northern Ireland Assembly is examined in Unit AS 1, The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland — compulsory. It covers the Good Friday Agreement: origins and principles, the three strands of the Agreement, rights, equality, policing and prisoners under the Agreement, implementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspension, subsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New Approach, composition, elections and designation, cross-community voting and the petition of concern, the Assembly's representative function, the Assembly's legislative function, the Assembly's scrutiny function and the Assembly's independence of the Executive.
Where it is assessed
AS Unit 1
The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Government and Politics students sit this topic in the first year.
- The Good Friday Agreement: origins and principlesPrinciple of consent as set out in the Agreement, parity of esteem and what is meant by calling the Agreement constructively ambiguous.Open →
- The three strands of the AgreementPurpose of the North/South Ministerial Council, two institutions created by Strand Three of the Agreement and saying the three strands are interlocking and interdependent.Open →
- Rights, equality, policing and prisoners under the AgreementIncorporation of the European Convention, the two commissions, the unfinished Bill of Rights, the section 75 equality duty, the Patten report and the reform of policing, prisoner releases, decommissioning and language provision.Open →
- Implementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspensionResult of the Northern Ireland referendum on the Agreement, result of the referendum in the Republic of Ireland and direct rule.Open →
- Subsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New ApproachSt Andrews and the change to how the First and deputy First Minister are chosen, Hillsborough Castle and the devolution of policing and justice, Stormont House, A Fresh Start, New Decade New Approach, and the Stormont brake.Open →
- Composition, elections and designationNinety members, five per constituency, elected by the single transferable vote; the reduction from 108; designation as unionist, nationalist or other; the Alliance objection and the defence of the system; and how the Speaker is chosen.Open →
- Cross-community voting and the petition of concernCross-community vote, parallel consent and weighted majority in the Assembly.Open →
- The Assembly's representative functionRepresentative function of a legislature, case that the Assembly performs its representative function well and case that the Assembly performs its representative function poorly.Open →
- The Assembly's legislative functionExcepted matters, stages of a public bill in the Assembly and difference between consideration stage and further consideration stage.Open →
- The Assembly's scrutiny functionStatutory committees of the Assembly, three powers of a statutory committee and three standing committees other than the Public Accounts Committee.Open →
- The Assembly's independence of the ExecutiveCase that the Assembly is substantially independent of the Executive and case that the Assembly is substantially dependent on the Executive.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
Why does the change made at St Andrews raise the stakes at every Assembly election?
Key term
Name three things agreed in the Stormont House Agreement of December 2014.
Process
What happens at the committee stage of a bill?
Key term
Assess how effectively the Assembly scrutinises government.
Key term
Why is the Assembly's independence of the Executive a live question at all?
Key term
How does the appointment of committee chairs affect independence?
Key term
State the case that the Assembly is substantially independent of the Executive.
Numbers
On what date was the Good Friday Agreement reached, and by what other name is it known?
Key term
What does Strand One of the Agreement establish?
Numbers
On what date were the referendums on the Agreement held?
Numbers
How many members does the Assembly have, and how many are returned by each constituency?
Key term
What is a cross-community vote?
Key term
What is meant by the representative function of a legislature?
Key term
Which governments were parties to the Agreement alongside the Northern Ireland parties?
Key term
What is the purpose of the North/South Ministerial Council?
Key term
Which two commissions were established by the Agreement to protect rights and equality?
Key term
Why is the overall Northern Ireland referendum figure misleading about unionist opinion?
Key term
What electoral system is used for Assembly elections?
Key term
Name three matters that must be decided by cross-community vote.
Key term
How does the constituency casework of MLAs contribute to representation?
Key term
Distinguish transferred, reserved and excepted matters.
Key term
How are committee chairs and members allocated?
Key term
What is meant by parity of esteem?
Key term
How many North/South implementation bodies were created, and name three of them.
Numbers
Which commission was established to review policing after the Agreement, and who chaired it?
Numbers
Which Act of Parliament gave the Agreement legal effect in the United Kingdom?
Numbers
When and where was the St Andrews Agreement reached?
Evaluation
State one criticism of the single transferable vote as used for the Assembly.
Key term
On what grounds do critics argue the petition of concern has been abused?
Key term
Which section of the population do critics say the settlement under-represents?
Key term
Give two examples of excepted matters.
Key term
Name three powers of a statutory committee.
Take The Northern Ireland Assembly further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
On what date was the Good Friday Agreement reached, and by what other name is it known?
Model answer
The Good Friday Agreement was reached on 10 April 1998 and is also known as the Belfast Agreement.
- 2
Who chaired the multi-party talks that produced the Good Friday Agreement?
Model answer
The talks were chaired by the former United States senator George Mitchell, working alongside Harri Holkeri of Finland and General John de Chastelain of Canada.
- 3
Which governments were parties to the Agreement alongside the Northern Ireland parties?
Model answer
The British and Irish governments were both parties to the Agreement, and each signed a separate British-Irish Agreement giving it effect in international law.
- 4
Name the Northern Ireland parties that recommended a Yes vote in 1998.
Model answer
The Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP, Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, the Progressive Unionist Party and the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition all recommended a Yes vote.
- 5
Which parties campaigned against the Agreement in 1998?
Model answer
The Democratic Unionist Party and the United Kingdom Unionist Party campaigned for a No vote, arguing that the Agreement rewarded violence and weakened the Union.
- 6
State the principle of consent as set out in the Agreement.
Model answer
The principle of consent holds that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom for as long as a majority of its people so wish, and that if a majority ever votes for a united Ireland both governments are obliged to give effect to that wish.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The Northern Ireland Assembly revision questions
- Is The Northern Ireland Assembly examined at AS in CCEA Government and Politics?
- Yes. It sits in AS Unit 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does The Northern Ireland Assembly cover in CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics?
- 11 subtopics: the good friday agreement: origins and principles, the three strands of the agreement, rights, equality, policing and prisoners under the agreement, implementing the agreement: referendums, devolution and suspension, subsequent agreements from st andrews to new decade, new approach, composition, elections and designation, cross-community voting and the petition of concern, the assembly's representative function, the assembly's legislative function, the assembly's scrutiny function and the assembly's independence of the executive. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The Northern Ireland Assembly organised?
- By the CCEA 4830 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The Northern Ireland Assembly, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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