Inside Parliament Buildings

What Happens Here?

Parliament Buildings is the home of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly was established after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

The building was the home of the Northern Ireland Parliament. It opened in 1932. The Parliament used two chambers, the House of Commons and the Senate, to conduct the legislative process. It continued until 1972 when it was prorogued after civil unrest.

Today, the Northern Ireland Assembly operates a single legislative chamber. The original House of Commons has become the Assembly Chamber. The ‘adversarial’ seating format has been replaced by a U-shaped layout inspired by the European parliament building. This is where the Assembly holds plenary meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays. Unlike Westminster, there are enough seats for the 108 MLAs. The Assembly Chamber is where MLAs:

• debate and vote on legislation;
• debate issues of concern to the people of Northern Ireland; and
• question Ministers about the work of Government Departments.

All this happens in public view. Anyone can sit in the Public Gallery to view the plenary session. The Assembly Website broadcasts the proceedings live at www.niassembly.gov.uk/ with archive footage available at BBC Democracy Live news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi

The Senate Chamber is no longer a debating chamber. It is now used as a Committee venue. The room retains its period features, but now contains cameras and microphones used to broadcast and record committee proceedings.

The Great Hall greets visitors as they arrive at Parliament Buildings. It is used as a central meeting area. It is a very busy space when the Assembly is in session, journalists conduct interviews and press conferences, people congregate before meetings, and visitors come to see the Assembly in action.

Explore the model of Parliament Buildings to find out how it fits together.