This post is part of our ongoing commitment to publish web stats for www.niassembly.gov.uk (“the site”).

During the month of June the site recorded ¹:
87,029 visits ³;
457,907 pageviews ⁴; and
an average of 5.26 pages per visit.

Trivia

87.00% of users to the website use Internet Explorer;
7.15% use Firefox;
2.52% use Chrome; and
2.34% use Safari.

As you would expect, Windows is the dominant operating system accounting for 96.17% of visits to the site with 2.26% of visitors using OS X (Apple).

43.28% of our users have a screen resolution of 1280 (width)  x 1024 (height), while 27.66% have a resolution of 1024 x 768.

There have been 777 visits to the website from mobile devices. The iPhone is the most popular device with 409 visits, Android is second with 124. In total OS X (iPhone, iPod, iPad) account for 529 of the 777 visits (68%).

The monthly web stats overview is available to download here (PDF) and you can view the top 500 pages here (PDF).

¹ The Assembly currently uses Google Analytics to evaluate usage of www.niassembly.gov.uk. However, you can choose to opt out of this data collection by installing a browser add-on. The Google Analytics site has more information on this here.
²A Visitor is a construct designed to come as close as possible to defining the number of actual, distinct people who visited a website.
³ Visits: The number of times your visitors have been to your site
⁴ A page view is an instance of a page being loaded by a browser.

Are there any plans in the pipeline which would see a change in the consociationalist coalition towards a government and official opposition system within the Northern Ireland Assembly?

The system of government used in Northern Ireland was established in the Northern Ireland Act 1998, signed by both the UK and Irish Governments.
For further information about the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (PDF) which preceeded the Northern Ireland Act and the 2006 St Andrews Agreement (PDF), please contact the Northern Ireland Office, www.nio.gov.uk

What are your views on this subject?

It seems that there is no accountability and if a member fails to attend there is no record or consequence.

On 22nd June there was a vote on the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill but only 41 of a possible 108 MLAs were in attendance.  How can a vote be held with fewer than half of the members present?

Why is the Northern Ireland  ‘Local’ Assembly debating the current situation/crisis in the Middle East?
I cannot see the relevance of our elected Local Assembly Members wasting public money and time to discuss something that does not have a bearing on the people of Northern Ireland.
Our Assembly finds it hard enough to agree upon and debate important issues that have a bearing on our lives, e.g education, but can organised a debate on something occurring half a world away.
Once again our MLAs have shown they have lost the plot in terms of what the electorate of NI needs.

For those who may not be aware, the Assembly held a special sitting on Friday 4th of June to discuss the following motion:

That this Assembly, conscious of the presence of Nobel laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire on board the MV Rachel Corrie, calls on Israel to conform with international human rights norms and joins with the British and Irish Governments in condemning the disproportionate actions by Israel earlier this week; recognises that every nation has the right to defend itself but that each nation also has a responsibility to respect and comply with international law; and further calls on Israel to ensure that humanitarian efforts in Gaza are facilitated, that an immediate end to the blockade is effected and that the MV Rachel Corrie is given safe passage to Gaza.

You can find the Official Report of the discussion on this webpage.

MLAs, as elected representatives of the people of Northern Ireland, debate many issues of concern. The situation in Gaza is of great interest and it is not unusual that MLAs should debate this issue and add their views to the views of others from across the world.

We publish a list (updated weekly) of proposed motions for debate, which are called No Day Named Motions.  A no day named motion is the term given to a motion for which no date has been fixed for debate and are published on this page http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/io/noday.htm.

“Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimising web usage.”

You can learn more about web analytics from this Wikipedia article.

We analyse visitors to the Assembly’s website ¹ to highlight monthly trends.

Web stats for May 2010:
32,279 Visitors ²
80,151 Visits ³
432,115 Pageviews ⁴

The image above shows how use of the website varies on a day to day basis.  Visits to the site peak during the week and plateau when the Assembly does not meet.

Popular pages on our website include, This Week at the Assembly, Assembly Questions, Membership of the Assembly, Committee pages and the Official Report.

How people get to our site

More than 52% of visitors to the Assembly’s website find their way via a search engine, typically using the following search terms:
NI Assembly; Northern Ireland Assembly; Stormont.

The monthly web stats report is available to download here.

¹ The Assembly currently uses Google Analytics to evaluate usage of www.niassembly.gov.uk. However, you can choose to opt out of this data collection by installing a browser add-on. The Google Analytics site has more information on this here.
²A Visitor is a construct designed to come as close as possible to defining the number of actual, distinct people who visited a website.
³ Visits: The number of times your visitors have been to your site
⁴ A page view is an instance of a page being loaded by a browser.

Chloe Coyle sings at the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure event at the Balmoral Show on the 12th May 2010 while Committee Chair Mr Barry McElduff MLA discusses the importance of townland names.

The Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development met at the Balmoral Show on the 13th May 2010. Speaking at the event, Committee Chair Mr Ian Paisley Jr MLA, says that the Committee strives to ensure that the agricultural industry is properly represented.

Committee Member Francie Molloy MLA, states that the Committee were keen to listen to the views of the farming community.

Cathal Boylan MLA, Chair of the Environment Committee explains why it’s important to hear views on rural road safety at this mornings event at the Balmoral Show.
The PSNI were also on hand to give advice to those driving in rural parts.

If the Draft Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Bill (Consultation Document) is passed it will mean the introduction of one of the most draconian pieces of legislation in NI in decades.
The draft legislation published by the First and Deputy First Ministers on April 20th, ostensibly to deal with the issue of contentious marches, will encompass all public meetings, demonstrations and protests involving trade unions, political activists, community organisations and various campaign groups.

Under the new legislation, ALL gatherings involving 50 or more persons and which take place in a “public space” will be required to give 37 days prior notification of their intention to hold such a gathering.

In the Explanatory Guide to the Draft Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Bill, the all encompassing nature of the new laws is illustrated by way of an example which states that “if a group wanted to protest against the closure of a local sports facility….the group’s activity would fall under the definition of a public meeting and would therefore be subject to the notification procedures for a public assembly.”

The term ‘public space’ is defined in the legislation as meaning “any road or footway or any other place, apart from a building, to which the public or a section of the public has access”. Such a wide-reaching definition will include the grounds of both government and council buildings, or the grounds and entrances to factories, workplaces and public service establishments, such as schools and hospitals. Trade union demonstrations outside workplaces which involve more than 50 workers will therefore come under the new law’s remit.

This legislation will impact upon and restrict the ability of trade unions and others to mobilise demonstrations in support of workers. A case in point to illustrate this is the stance taken last year by trade unions, community groups and political parties of the left in mobilising rallies at very short notice in support of the workforce at the Visteon plant in Belfast.

Under the proposals set out in the legislation, 37-days advance notification must be given for such rallies and the organisers would also have to specify which trade unions or community groups would also be taking part. Failure to do so could result in jail terms of up to six months for the organisers and any participants.

The new legislation will severely restrict the ability of trades unionists, political activists, community and campaign groups to organise effective and spontaneous public demonstrations to highlight issues which often require a speedy and immediate public response at very short notice. Protest meetings such as those against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, solidarity vigils held to support the victims of racist attacks, or demonstrations such as those outside the BBC in relation to airtime being given to the BNP will all fall under the remit of the new law.

How can people within this Assembly support such a policy?

What is your view*?

*Comments submitted to this website (yourassembly.com) will not be included in the consultation. You can respond directly to the consultation via the nidirect website.

Committee for Regional Development

Public transport and access to transport in rural areas are high on this Committee’s agenda. Visit the Committee at the Show and share your views on these important issues – we will include it in our report on Sustainable Transport.

Committee for the Environment

The Committee for the Environment is currently looking at road safety here. The Department of Environment is consulting on a draft plan to address the number of accidents on Northern Ireland’s roads and the Committee is reviewing this plan. The Committee wants to hear your views on some of the Department’s ideas. Come along on Wednesday 12 May at 10.00 and hear from the PSNI about the problems on our rural roads, view a ‘souped up’ car and hear how to go about it safely.

Committee for Employment and Learning

The Committee for Employment and Learning is currently carrying out a inquiry into young people not in education, employment or training (the so-called NEETs). The Commitee’s event at the Show will focus on access to further education and training, and will highlight the importance of regional colleges to provide innovative training schemes. There will be a chance to speak to the Committee Members and discuss your concerns.

Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure

Do you know what townland you belong to? The Committee is hosting a special exhibition to help you find out more about your heritage and the townland you belong to. There will also be an exhibition of crafts by local artisans and a special performance by All Ireland Talent Show winner Chloe Coyle.

Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development

Focusing on the concerns of farm businesses and the rural community the Committee for Agriculture will be holding its regular meeting at the Show. This will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions and air your concerns to members of the Committee.

Public Accounts Committee

The Public Accounts Committee works on your behalf to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and well. Find out how your MLAs examine Government spending to get value for money on your behalf.

Assembly Youth Panel

The Northern Ireland Assembly is working towards establishing a youth assembly. Our youth panel will be at the Balmoral Show to hear your views on how the youth assembly should work, how its members should be elected, and what its role should be. This is a great opportunity for you to help shape this important and exciting initiative.

Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust

The Business Trust, in conjunction with the Federation of Small Businesses is holding a seminar for small businesses on engaging in Europe. The FSB will share their experiences on making representations to MEPs to how you make your voice heard in Europe.