Senate of Northern Ireland
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The Senate of Northern Ireland was the upper house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created by the Government of Ireland Act 1920.
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[edit] Membership
The Senate consisted of 26 members.
- Two ex-officio members: the Lord Mayor of Belfast and Mayor of Derry;
- Twenty-four members elected by the House of Commons of Northern Ireland elected using the Single Transferable Vote, elected in blocks of twelve with each senator's term lasting for two parliaments (ie, two House of Commons).
[edit] Powers
In practice the Senate of Northern Ireland possessed little power and even less influence. As early as 1926, five years after its first creation, calls began for its abolition.
[edit] Location of meetings
From 1932, when the building was completed, until 1972, the Senate of Northern Ireland met in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Buildings in Stormont on the outskirts of Belfast. To make parallels with the British House of Lords members of the Senate sat on red benches.
[edit] Who sat in the Senate
During its history 142 people, 141 men and 1 woman, sat in the upper house. Peers of the Realm were disproportionately represented in the Senate, and Sir Basil Brooke once sat as a member.
[edit] Key office-holders
The key offices in the Senate were
- Speaker
- Deputy Speakers (2)
- Leader of the House
- Deputy Leader of the House (abolished in 1961).
[edit] Political complexion
With the addition of the (guaranteed to be) Unionist Lords Mayor, due to gerrymandering in Londonderry Corporation and the then unionist majority in the population of Belfast Corporation; together with boycotts of the Commons at various times by nationalist parties and fragmentation of the opposition into some parties too small to elect a Senator alone, the upper house proved to be even more heavily unionist than the lower house. Unusually however a Nationalist is recorded as having been deputy speaker at one stage.
The precise political make-up of the Senate is however impossible to clarify with certainty. Such was its low profile that the political allegiances of members were not usually recorded either in official records or in media coverage and records of the House other than Hansard reports of debates, are sparse.
[edit] Abolition
The Senate, along with the House of Commons, was prorogued in 1972 and abolished completely in 1973.
The old Senate chamber is now used as a committee room of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
[edit] External links
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Executive of Northern Ireland |
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Legislature of Northern Ireland |
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Irish House of Lords (until 1800) |
