Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee

The Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee is appointed by the Northern Ireland Assembly to examine public spending, highlight good practice and poor value for money, and recommend improvements.

History

The committee was created in 1999 following the Belfast Agreement. The committee considers issues across a wide range of areas such as education, health and justice.^[1]

Membership

Membership of the committee is as follows:

Party		Member[2]	Constituency
	SDLP	Daniel McCrossan MLA (Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	DUP	Diane Forsythe MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	South Down
	Sinn Féin	Cathal Boylan MLA	Newry and Armagh
	DUP	Tom Buchanan MLA	West Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Pádraig Delargy MLA	Foyle
	DUP	Stephen Dunne MLA	North Down
	Sinn Féin	Colm Gildernew MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Alliance	David Honeyford MLA	Lagan Valley
	UUP	Vacant

2022-2027 Mandate

Party		Member[3]	Constituency
	SDLP	Daniel McCrossan MLA (Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	DUP	Diane Forsythe MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	South Down
	Sinn Féin	Cathal Boylan MLA	Newry and Armagh
	DUP	Cheryl Brownlee MLA	East Antrim
	DUP	Tom Buchanan MLA	West Tyrone
	UUP	Robbie Butler MLA	Lagan Valley
	Sinn Féin	Pádraig Delargy MLA	Foyle
	Sinn Féin	Colm Gildernew MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Alliance	David Honeyford MLA	Lagan Valley

Changes 2022–2027

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
5 March 2024		Robbie Butler MLA (UUP)	Lagan Valley	→		John Stewart MLA (UUP)	East Antrim
21 October 2024		John Stewart MLA (UUP)	East Antrim	→		Colin Crawford MLA (UUP)	North Antrim
31 July 2025		Colin Crawford MLA (UUP)	North Antrim	→	Vacant
23 September 2025		Cheryl Brownlee MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→		Stephen Dunne MLA (DUP)	North Down

2017-2022 Mandate

Party		Member[4]	Constituency
	DUP	William Humphrey MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast North
	UUP	Roy Beggs Jr MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	East Antrim
	Sinn Féin	Cathal Boylan MLA	Newry and Armagh
	SDLP	John Dallat MLA	East Londonderry
	Sinn Féin	Órlaithí Flynn MLA	Belfast West
	DUP	David Hilditch MLA	East Antrim
	Alliance	Trevor Lunn MLA	Lagan Valley
	Sinn Féin	Maolíosa McHugh MLA	West Tyrone
	DUP	Gary Middleton MLA	Foyle

Changes 2017–2022

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
17 February 2020		Gary Middleton MLA (DUP)	Foyle	→		Harry Harvey MLA (DUP)	Strangford
31 March 2020		Trevor Lunn MLA (Alliance)	Lagan Valley	→		Andrew Muir MLA (Alliance)	North Down
19 May 2020		John Dallat MLA (SDLP)	East Londonderry	→		Matthew O'Toole MLA (SDLP)	Belfast South
21 June 2021		Harry Harvey MLA (DUP)	Strangford	→		William Irwin MLA (DUP)	Newry and Armagh
18 October 2021		Matthew O'Toole MLA (SDLP)	Belfast South	→		Cara Hunter MLA (SDLP)	East Londonderry

2016-2017 Mandate

Party		Member[5]	Constituency
	UUP	Robin Swann MLA (Chairperson)	North Antrim
	SDLP	Daniel McCrossan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	UUP	Robbie Butler MLA	Lagan Valley
	DUP	Trevor Clarke MLA	South Antrim
	DUP	Gordon Dunne MLA	North Down
	DUP	Alex Easton MLA	North Down
	Sinn Féin	Michelle Gildernew MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Declan Kearney MLA	South Antrim
	DUP	Carla Lockhart MLA	Upper Bann
	Alliance	Trevor Lunn MLA	Lagan Valley
	Sinn Féin	Oliver McMullan MLA	East Antrim

Changes 2016–2017

None

2011-2016 Mandate

Party		Member[6]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	Paul Maskey MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast West
	SDLP	Joe Byrne MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	DUP	Sydney Anderson MLA	Upper Bann
	UUP	Michael Copeland MLA	Belfast East
	SDLP	John Dallat MLA	East Londonderry
	DUP	Alex Easton MLA	North Down
	DUP	Paul Frew MLA	North Antrim
	DUP	Paul Girvan MLA	South Antrim
	UUP	Ross Hussey MLA	West Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Jennifer McCann MLA	Belfast West
	Sinn Féin	Mitchel McLaughlin MLA	South Antrim

Changes 2011–2016

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
25 October 2011		Paul Frew MLA (DUP)	North Antrim	→		Adrian McQuillan MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry
25 October 2011		Jennifer McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→		Conor Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh
1 July 2012		Conor Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh	→	Vacant
2 July 2012		Paul Maskey MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→		Michaela Boyle MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone
6 September 2012		Joe Byrne MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP)	West Tyrone	→		John Dallat MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP)	East Londonderry
10 September 2012		Joe Byrne MLA (SDLP)	West Tyrone	→		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down
11 September 2012	Vacant			→		Daithí McKay MLA (Sinn Féin)	North Antrim
1 October 2012		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down	→		Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP)	South Antrim
11 February 2013		Sydney Anderson MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann	→		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
15 April 2013		Mitchel McLaughlin MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Antrim	→		Chris Hazzard MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down
7 May 2013		Sammy Douglas MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		David McIlveen MLA (DUP)	North Antrim
16 September 2013		David McIlveen MLA (DUP)	North Antrim	→		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down
6 October 2014		Chris Hazzard MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down	→		Phil Flanagan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
6 October 2014		Michael Copeland MLA (UUP)	Belfast East	→		Roy Beggs Jr MLA (UUP)	East Antrim
18 May 2015		Alex Easton MLA (DUP)	North Down	→		Jim Wells MLA (DUP)	South Down
7 September 2015		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down	→		Claire Hanna MLA (SDLP)	Belfast South
14 September 2015		Daithí McKay MLA (Sinn Féin)	North Antrim	→		Conor Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh
5 October 2015		Adrian McQuillan MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry	→		Edwin Poots MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley

2007-2011 Mandate

Party		Member[7]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	John O'Dowd MLA (Chairperson)	Upper Bann
	UUP	Roy Beggs Jr MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	East Antrim
	Sinn Féin	Willie Clarke MLA	South Down
	DUP	Jonathan Craig MLA	Lagan Valley
	SDLP	John Dallat MLA	East Londonderry
	DUP	Simon Hamilton MLA	Strangford
	DUP	David Hilditch MLA	East Antrim
	Alliance	Trevor Lunn MLA	Lagan Valley
	SDLP	Patsy McGlone MLA	Mid Ulster
	Sinn Féin	Mitchel McLaughlin MLA	South Antrim
	PUP	Dawn Purvis MLA	Belfast East

Changes 2007–2011

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
1 October 2007		Willie Clarke MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down	→		Mickey Brady MLA (Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh
21 January 2008		Mickey Brady MLA (Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh	→		Ian McCrea MLA (DUP)	Mid Ulster
4 March 2008		Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP)	Mid Ulster	→		Thomas Burns MLA (SDLP)	South Antrim
20 May 2008		John O'Dowd MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Upper Bann	→		Paul Maskey MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
26 May 2008		Ian McCrea MLA (DUP)	Mid Ulster	→		Jim Wells MLA (DUP)	South Down
15 September 2008		Simon Hamilton MLA (DUP)	Strangford	→		George Robinson MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry
		David Hilditch MLA (DUP)	East Antrim			Jim Shannon MLA (DUP)	Strangford
29 June 2009		Thomas Burns MLA (SDLP)	South Antrim	→		Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP)	Mid Ulster
18 September 2009		George Robinson MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry	→		Jeffrey Donaldson MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley
		Jim Wells MLA (DUP)	South Down			David Hilditch MLA (DUP)	East Antrim
20 April 2010		Jonathan Craig MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley	→		Wallace Browne MLA (DUP)	Belfast East
		Jeffrey Donaldson MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley			Stephen Moutray MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann
3 August 2010		Jim Shannon MLA (DUP)	Newry and Armagh	→	Vacant
14 September 2010		Wallace Browne MLA (DUP)	Belfast East	→		Gregory Campbell MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry
		David Hilditch MLA (DUP)	East Antrim			William Irwin MLA (DUP)	Newry and Armagh
		Vacant				Adrian McQuillan MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry

2007-2011 Mandate

Party		Member[8]	Constituency
	UUP	Billy Bell MLA (Chairperson)	Lagan Valley
	UUP	Pauline Armitage MLA	East Londonderry
	UUP	Roy Beggs Jr MLA (Chairperson)	East Antrim
	DUP	Mervyn Carrick MLA	Upper Bann
	Alliance	Seamus Close MLA	Lagan Valley
	SDLP	John Dallat MLA	East Londonderry
	DUP	David Hilditch MLA	East Antrim
	SDLP	Donovan McClelland MLA	South Antrim
	NI Women's Coalition	Jane Morrice MLA	North Down
	SDLP	Danny O'Connor MLA	East Antrim
	Sinn Féin	Sue Ramsey MLA	Belfast West

Changes 1998-2003

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
1 July 2002		Sue Ramsey MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→		Conor Murphy MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Newry and Armagh

External links

• The Committee's website