To establish an All-Party Group (APG), Section 3 of the Rules on All-Party Groups must be adhered to.
An APG needs to be established by an MLA and they act as the contact point during the registration process.
An APG must at all times include at least ten MLAs and all three designations at the Assembly must be represented in the membership.
At the initial meeting, the officers of the proposed APG must be elected.
It is for each proposed APG to determine its own preferred mechanism for electing officers. In addition to its elected officers, a group may also agree to have ex officio officers.
Elections can take place at any time other than recess.
The purpose of the proposed group should also be agreed at the initial meeting. The enclosed Registration form should be completed following this meeting.
It should also be noted that an ‘All-Party Notice’ (APN) must be issued, via the Assembly Business Office, business.office@niassembly.gov.uk
at least seven days before this initial meeting takes place, informing MLAs that it is proposed to form the APG and inviting MLAs to attend a meeting to discuss the formation of a group and to elect its officers.
Following the initial meeting, the completed Registration Form is then forwarded to me for bringing to the Assembly Standards & Privileges Committee to consider and approve.
Following approval, the Chairperson of the APG will be notified and the APG can then schedule its further meetings.