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Constitution Unit experts give oral evidence on Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive reform
14 May 2025
Alan Renwick, Conor J. Kelly and Alan Whysall gave oral evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Assembly and Executive Review Committee.
The authors of the Constitution Unit’s recent report Reform of Stormont: Options for Discussion gave oral evidence on 13 May to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Assembly and Executive Review Committee.
The report provides a technical analysis of possible reforms that have been or might reasonably be proposed and that can plausibly be said to preserve the Agreement's underlying principles. It offers no view on the desirability of these reforms, but rather provides a framework for further discussion and analysis. Its authors are former Constitution Unit researcher Dr Conor J. Kelly, who is now Bingham Early Career Fellow in Constitutional Studies at Balliol College, University of Oxford, the Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit, Professor Alan Renwick, and Honorary Senior Research Associate Alan Whysall.
The event was the opening evidence session for the Committee’s recently launched Review into Assembly and Executive Reform.
It began with a presentation on the report by the authors. Committee members then asked a wide range of questions. Some of these explored broad matters of principle, such as whether there is a trade off between consensus and decisiveness, whether current arrangements create a ‘democratic deficit’, and how far the institutions have helped or could help in achieving reconciliation. Others looked at particular reform options, such as changing the rules for electing the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Speaker, or transferring nomination rights if a political party declines to nominate a First Minister or deputy First Minister. And others considered the practicability of change, including how willing London and Dublin might be to pursue reform, whether reforms would require legislation at Westminster, and how far consensus would be needed to deliver effective reform.
A recording of the session is available to watch on YouTube.
Key links:
- Assembly and Executive Review Committee, Tuesday 13 May 2025 – Watch the oral evidence session.
- Reform of Stormont: Options for Discussion – Read our latest report.
- Review into Assembly and Executive Reform – Find out more about the Assembly and Executive Review Committee’s review.
