Assembly to be dissolved for election

The Northern Ireland Assembly is to be dissolved next January to prepare for a fresh Stormont election on March 7, the British government revealed today.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain’s Bill implementing the St Andrews Agreement confirmed the Assembly would be dissolved on January 30 ahead of the full restoration of power sharing.

The Bill will enable a transitional Assembly to meet from November 24.

It is not clear if the Democratic Unionist leader the Rev Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness would be sworn in as Shadow First and Deputy First Ministers at next week’s meeting of the Assembly.