Senate of Northern Ireland

(1921–72)
Politics of Northern Ireland
Government Governor Privy Council Ministries Prime Minister Craigavon ministry Andrews ministry Brookeborough ministry O'Neill ministry Chichester-Clark ministry Faulkner ministry Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments
Parliament Acts Statutory rules and orders Senate Speaker of the Senate Leader of the Senate House of Commons Speaker Leader of the Opposition Members 1933 1953 1969 Senate
Elections Elections in Northern Ireland 1921, 1925, 1929, 1933 1938, 1945, 1949, 1953 1958, 1962, 1965, 1969 By-elections Constituencies Political parties
See also Fourth Home Rule Bill Constitution Act 1973
Other countries
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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. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.

Powers

In practice the Senate of Northern Ireland possessed little power and even less influence. While intended as a revising chamber, in practice, debates and votes typically simply replicated those in the Commons.^[1]

Location

From 1932, when the building was completed, until 1972, the Senate of Northern Ireland met in the Senate Chamber of

Senators

The Senate consisted of 26 members. Twenty-four members elected by the

In 1925, at the end of the first parliament, the senators to retire were selected by lot.[4] At the subsequent election, voting papers from the Nationalist MPs and George Henderson were deemed to have been submitted late, and were not considered. All these members had given a high preference to the Nationalist candidate, Vincent Devoto, and a subsequent analysis of the transfers showed that these would otherwise have been sufficient to elect him.^[5]

Office-holders

The key offices in the Senate were:

• Speaker
• 2 Deputy Speakers
• Leader of the House
• Deputy Leader of the House (abolished in 1961).

Political composition

During its history 142 people sat in the upper house. With the addition of the

The table below shows the political composition of the twenty-four elected members of the Senate, after each election. It does not show subsequent changes of party allegiance, nor changes resulting from by-elections. Following the 1969 election, there was one vacant seat.[7] Other than Hugh O'Doherty, Mayor of Londonderry until 1923, all the ex officio members were Ulster Unionists.

Peerages

The Senate, along with the House of Commons, was prorogued by the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972, and abolished completely by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. The old Senate Chamber is now used as a committee room of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

See also

• List of members of the Senate of Northern Ireland

References

Sources

• Harbinson, John F. (1974). The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882–1973. Blackstaff Press.
  ISBN 9780856400766
  .
• Whyte, Nicholas (17 February 2002). "Members of the Northern Ireland Senate, 1921-72". Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
• Parliamentary debates (official report) Northern Ireland. The Senate. Vol. 56 vols. Belfast: H.M.S.O. on behalf of the government of Northern Ireland. 1921–1972.
  OCLC 876621671
  .