Committee for Communities

The Committee for Communities is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department for Communities and Minister for Communities (currently Gordon Lyons). The committee also plays a key role in the consultation, consideration and development of new social development legislation.^[1]

Until 2016, the committee was called the Committee for Social Development.

Membership

Membership of the committee is as follows:

Party		Member[2]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	Colm Gildernew MLA (Chairperson)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Nicola Brogan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	UUP	Andy Allen MLA	Belfast East
	Alliance	Kellie Armstrong MLA	Strangford
	DUP	Maurice Bradley MLA	East Londonderry
	DUP	Pam Cameron MLA	South Antrim
	SDLP	Mark H. Durkan MLA	Foyle
	Sinn Féin	Maolíosa McHugh MLA	West Tyrone
	Alliance	Sian Mulholland MLA	North Antrim

2022–2027 Assembly

Party		Member[3]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	Colm Gildernew MLA (Chairperson)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Ciara Ferguson MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Foyle
	UUP	Andy Allen MLA	Belfast East
	Alliance	Kellie Armstrong MLA	Strangford
	DUP	Maurice Bradley MLA	East Londonderry
	DUP	Brian Kingston MLA	Belfast North
	SDLP	Daniel McCrossan MLA	West Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Maolíosa McHugh MLA	West Tyrone
	Alliance	Sian Mulholland MLA	North Antrim

Changes 2022–2027

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
6 February 2025		Ciara Ferguson MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Foyle	→		Nicola Brogan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone
8 September 2025		Daniel McCrossan MLA (SDLP)	West Tyrone	→		Mark H. Durkan MLA (SDLP)	Foyle
23 September 2025		Brian Kingston MLA (DUP)	Belfast North	→		Pam Cameron MLA (DUP)	South Antrim

2017-2022 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2017-2022 Assembly on 23 January 2020.

Party		Member[4]	Constituency
	DUP	Paula Bradley MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast North
	Alliance	Kellie Armstrong MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Strangford
	UUP	Andy Allen MLA	Belfast East
	DUP	Jonathan Buckley MLA	Upper Bann
	SDLP	Mark H. Durkan MLA	Foyle
	Sinn Féin	Sinéad Ennis MLA	South Down
	DUP	Robin Newton MLA	Belfast East
	Sinn Féin	Carál Ní Chuilín MLA	Belfast North
	Sinn Féin	Emma Sheerin MLA	Mid Ulster

Changes 2017-2022

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
9 March 2020		Emma Sheerin MLA (Sinn Féin)	Mid Ulster	→		Fra McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
17 June 2020		Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast North	→	Vacant
2 November 2020		Jonathan Buckley MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann	→		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down
16 December 2020	Vacant			→		Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast North
1 February 2021		Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast North	→		Karen Mullan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle
21 June 2021		Robin Newton MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		Pam Cameron MLA (DUP)	South Antrim
15 September 2021		Sinéad Ennis MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down	→		Áine Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
20 September 2021		Pam Cameron MLA (DUP)	South Antrim	→		Stephen Dunne MLA (DUP)	North Down
		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down			Paul Frew MLA (DUP)	North Antrim
27 September 2021		Karen Mullan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle	→		Ciara Ferguson MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle
1 November 2021		Fra McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→		Aisling Reilly MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West

2016-2017 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2016-2017 Assembly on 2 June 2016.

Party		Member[5]	Constituency
	SDLP	Colum Eastwood MLA (Chairperson)	Foyle
	Sinn Féin	Michelle Gildernew MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Green (NI)	Steven Agnew MLA	North Down
	UUP	Andy Allen MLA	Belfast East
	DUP	Jonathan Bell MLA	Strangford
	Alliance	Naomi Long MLA	Belfast East
	Sinn Féin	Fra McCann MLA	Belfast West
	DUP	Adrian McQuillan MLA	East Londonderry
	SDLP	Nichola Mallon MLA	Belfast North
	Sinn Féin	Carál Ní Chuilín MLA	Belfast North
	DUP	Christopher Stalford MLA	Belfast South

Changes 2016-2017

None

2011-2016 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2011-2016 Assembly in May 2011.

Party		Member[6]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	Alex Maskey MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast South
	Sinn Féin	Mickey Brady MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Newry and Armagh
	DUP	Gregory Campbell MLA	East Londonderry
	Alliance	Judith Cochrane MLA	Belfast East
	UUP	Michael Copeland MLA	Belfast East
	DUP	Pam Cameron MLA	South Antrim
	DUP	Sammy Douglas MLA	Belfast East
	SDLP	Mark H. Durkan MLA	Foyle
	DUP	Alex Easton MLA	North Down
	Sinn Féin	Fra McCann MLA	Belfast West
	Ind. Unionist	David McClarty MLA	East Londonderry

Changes 2011-2016

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
20 February 2012		Gregory Campbell MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry	→		Paula Bradley MLA (DUP)	Belfast North
26 March 2012		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		Alastair Ross MLA (DUP)	East Antrim
1 October 2012		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down	→		Gregory Campbell MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry
		Alastair Ross MLA (DUP)	East Antrim			Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
11 February 2013		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		Sydney Anderson MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann
7 May 2013		Sydney Anderson MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann	→		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
9 September 2013		David McClarty MLA (Ind. Unionist)	East Londonderry	→		Jim Allister MLA (TUV)	North Antrim
16 September 2013		Pam Cameron MLA (DUP)	South Antrim	→		Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP)	South Antrim
		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East			Sammy Wilson MLA (DUP)	East Antrim
30 September 2013		Mark H. Durkan MLA (SDLP)	Foyle	→		Dolores Kelly MLA (SDLP)	Upper Bann
1 October 2013		Judith Cochrane MLA (Alliance)	Belfast East	→		Stewart Dickson MLA (Alliance)	East Antrim
6 October 2014		Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP)	South Antrim	→		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
17 November 2014		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		Maurice Devenney MLA (DUP)	Foyle
9 February 2015		Michael Copeland MLA (UUP)	Belfast East	→		Roy Beggs Jr MLA (UUP)	East Antrim
25 March 2015		Maurice Devenney MLA (DUP)	Foyle	→	Vacant
22 April 2015	Vacant			→		Gary Middleton MLA (DUP)	Foyle
19 May 2015		Gary Middleton MLA (DUP)	Foyle	→		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
8 September 2015		Mickey Brady MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh	→		Fra McCann MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
29 July 2015		Sammy Wilson MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→	Vacant
7 September 2015	Vacant			→		Gordon Lyons MLA (DUP)	East Antrim
14 September 2015		Fra McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→		Phil Flanagan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
5 October 2015		Gordon Lyons MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→		Adrian McQuillan MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry

2007-2011 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2007-2011 Assembly in May 2007.

Party		Member[7]	Constituency
	DUP	Gregory Campbell MLA (Chairperson)	East Londonderry
	DUP	David Hilditch MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	East Antrim
	Sinn Féin	Mickey Brady MLA	Newry and Armagh
	SDLP	Thomas Burns MLA	South Antrim
	UUP	Fred Cobain MLA	Belfast North
	DUP	Jonathan Craig MLA	Lagan Valley
	Alliance	Anna Lo MLA	Belfast South
	SDLP	Alban Maginness MLA	Belfast North
	Sinn Féin	Fra McCann MLA	Belfast West
	Sinn Féin	Claire McGill MLA	West Tyrone
	DUP	Michelle McIlveen MLA	Strangford

Changes 2007-2011

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
20 May 2008		Claire McGill MLA (Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone	→		Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast North
9 June 2008		Gregory Campbell MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	East Londonderry	→		David Simpson MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	Upper Bann
29 September 2008		Fred Cobain MLA (UUP)	Belfast North	→		Billy Armstrong MLA (UUP)	Mid Ulster
29 June 2009		Alban Maginness MLA (SDLP)	Belfast North	→		Mary Bradley MLA (SDLP)	Foyle
4 July 2009		Simon Hamilton MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	Strangford	→		David Simpson MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	Upper Bann
14 September 2009		Michelle McIlveen MLA (DUP)	Strangford	→		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down
14 April 2010		David Hilditch MLA (Deputy Chairperson, DUP)	East Antrim	→		Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast North
25 May 2010		Thomas Burns MLA (SDLP)	South Antrim	→		Tommy Gallagher MLA (SDLP)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
14 September 2010		David Hilditch MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→		Sydney Anderson MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann
2 November 2010		Billy Armstrong MLA (UUP)	Mid Ulster	→		John McCallister MLA (UUP)	South Down
8 February 2011		John McCallister MLA (UUP)	South Down	→		Fred Cobain MLA (UUP)	Belfast North

1998-2003 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 1998-2003 Assembly in December 1999.

Party		Member[8]	Constituency
	UUP	Fred Cobain MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast North
	Sinn Féin	Michelle Gildernew MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	UUP	John Gorman MLA	North Down
	PUP	Billy Hutchinson MLA	Belfast North
	UUP	David McClarty MLA	East Londonderry
	SDLP	Danny O'Connor MLA	East Antrim
	SDLP	Eamonn O'Neill MLA	South Down
	DUP	Mark Robinson MLA	Belfast South
	SDLP	John Tierney MLA	Foyle
	DUP	Sammy Wilson MLA	Belfast East

Changes 1998-2003

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
1 March 2001		David McClarty MLA (UUP)	East Londonderry	→		Tom Hamilton MLA (UUP)	Strangford
1 July 2002		Michelle Gildernew MLA (Sinn Féin)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	→		Mary Nelis MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle
8 April 2002	Vacant			→		Gerry Kelly MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast North

See also

• Committee