The assembly was established in 1990 as the
British–Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (
BIIPB). It initially consisted of 25 members of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom and 25 members of the
Oireachtas, the Irish parliament. In 1998, the
British–Irish Council was established under Strand 3 of the 1998
Good Friday Agreement. The Council brings together ministers from the British and Irish governments, from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and from the crown dependencies. However Strand 3 stated that, as well as inter-governmental links, "the elected institutions of the members will be encouraged to develop inter-parliamentary links, perhaps building on the British
–Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body". In 2001, the assembly was enlarged to include representatives of legislative bodies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey. The fortieth plenary conference of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly met in
Cavan,
Ireland on 22–23 February 2010. On 22 November 2010, the assembly concluded its 41st plenary in
Douglas, on the
Isle of Man. This was the first plenary of the Assembly to be held in a
crown dependency. Irish parliamentarian
Frank Feighan has chaired the assembly. In October 2018, British
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Karen Bradley spoke to the assembly. In October 2019, the British
Minister of State for Europe and the Americas,
Christopher Pincher spoke to the assembly about the importance of UK-Ireland co-operation after
Brexit. The 62nd meeting in October 2022 brought Lawmakers from Ireland, the British legislatures, the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories to discuss matters of mutual interest, debate trade and publish reports on a range of issues including post Brexit trade and vaccine rollout. The 64th meeting in May 2023 was the first hosted by a
Crown Dependency, with delegates travelling to Jersey. ==Membership==