The British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA, ) is a deliberative body consisting of members elected to those national legislative bodies found within

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, namely the parliaments of the

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and the British

crown dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...

."Members"
, British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly, retrieved 27 November 2018 Its purpose is to foster common understanding between elected representatives from these jurisdictions. The assembly consists of 25 members each from the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

and the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...

(the Irish parliament) as well as five representatives each from the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), and the

Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly (; ), often referred to by the metonym ''Stormont'', is the devolved unicameral legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliam ...

, and one each from the

States of Jersey The States Assembly (; Jèrriais: ) is the parliament of Jersey, formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable (Jersey and Guernsey), Connétable of each of the Parishes of Jersey, twelve parishes. The origins of the legislature of ...

, the

States of Guernsey The States of Guernsey (), officially the States of Deliberation and sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the ...

and the

Tynwald Tynwald (), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald () or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Leg ...

of the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

History

The assembly was established in 1990 as the British–Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB). It initially consisted of 25 members of the

and 25 members of the

, the Irish parliament. In 1998, the

British–Irish Council The British–Irish Council (BIC; ) is an intergovernmental organisation that aims to improve collaboration between its members in a number of areas including transport, the environment and energy. Its membership comprises Ireland, the United ...

was established under Strand 3 of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The Council brings together ministers from the British and Irish governments, from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and from the crown dependencies. However Strand 3 stated that, as well as inter-governmental links, "the elected institutions of the members will be encouraged to develop inter-parliamentary links, perhaps building on the British –Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body". In 2001, the assembly was enlarged to include representatives of legislative bodies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey. The fortieth plenary conference of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly met in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

on 22–23 February 2010. On 22 November 2010, the assembly concluded its 41st plenary in Douglas, on the

. This was the first plenary of the Assembly to be held in a

crown dependency The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and toge ...

. Irish parliamentarian Frank Feighan has chaired the assembly. In October 2018, British

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The secretary of state for Northern Ireland (; ), also referred to as Northern Ireland Secretary or SoSNI, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Northern Ireland Office. The offi ...

Karen Bradley spoke to the assembly. In October 2019, the British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Christopher Pincher spoke to the assembly about the importance of UK-Ireland co-operation after

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

. The 62nd meeting in October 2022 brought Lawmakers from Ireland, the British legislatures, the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories to discuss matters of mutual interest, debate trade and publish reports on a range of issues including post Brexit trade and vaccine rollout. The 64th meeting in May 2023 was the first hosted by a

Crown Dependency The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and toge ...

, with delegates travelling to Jersey.

Membership

Functions

The British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly holds two plenary sessions a year. Its four committees (dealing with sovereign matters between the Irish and Westminster parliaments, European affairs, economic matters, the environment and social matters) meet several times a year. They produce reports which are submitted for comment to governments, and which are discussed in plenary. A steering committee organises the work of the plenary and deals with the assembly's institutional matters.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly Ireland–United Kingdom relations Parliament of the United Kingdom Oireachtas Scottish Parliament Senedd Northern Ireland Assembly Foreign relations of Jersey Politics of Guernsey Foreign relations of the Isle of Man Parliamentary assemblies Organizations established in 1990 1990 establishments in Ireland 1990 establishments in the United Kingdom Politics of the British Isles Politics of the Republic of Ireland

History

Membership

Functions

See also

References

External links