Title page
Contents
Summary 5
1. Background 6
1.1. Legislative provision 6
1.2. May 2022 Assembly election 6
1.3. Subsequent developments 7
1.4. Roundtable talks 7
1.5. Strikes and Assembly recall 8
1.6. Further legislative provision 8
1.7. The DUP endorses the deal 9
1.8. Reactions to the DUP's decision 10
2. Safeguarding the Union 12
2.1. Draft Statutory Instruments 13
2.2. Changes to the Internal Market Act 2020 and Windsor Framework 13
2.3. Northern Ireland's constitutional status 14
2.4. Financial package 20
3. Northern Ireland Assembly 22
3.1. Initial Assembly business 22
3.2. How is the Speaker elected? 23
3.3. How are the First and deputy First Ministers appointed? 23
3.4. How are the other Executive ministers appointed? 25
4. Belfast/Good Friday Agreement 28
5. Democratic consent mechanism and the Stormont Brake 30
5.1. Democratic consent mechanism 30
5.2. Stormont Brake 31
6. Reform of the devolved institutions 33
6.1. Northern Ireland Affairs Committee 33
Table 1. Executive ministerial nominations in 2016 and 2020 27
Table 2. Assembly instability 33