The Northern Ireland Assembly met on Monday 11 May 2026 for a session dominated by three major issues: the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dillon judicial review, the continuing failure to agree an Executive Budget for the new financial year, and the political fallout from election results in Scotland and Wales. The session also opened with the announcement that the Hospital Parking Charges Bill had received Royal Assent on 6 May 2026, becoming the Hospital Parking Charges Act (Northern Ireland) 2026.

The Supreme Court's judgment in the Dillon case, which narrowed the scope of Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, prompted sharp exchanges across the Chamber. Unionist MLAs welcomed the ruling as a rebuke to what they described as activist overreach by the Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission. Timothy Gaston of the TUV called the judgment "a particularly welcome reality check" and demanded the resignation of Equality Commission members, while DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said it was "a landmark ruling for common sense" that proved "there are but two" genders. Sinn Féin's Deirdre Hargey took a contrasting view, saying the ruling was "a disappointing result for families who have campaigned for decades for truth and justice" and warning it would make legacy investigations harder. Alliance's Sorcha Egan said the ICRIR "is not fit for purpose" and called for a fully human rights-compliant process, while SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone cautioned that the ruling "must not displace fundamental human rights commitments that underpin the Good Friday Agreement" and renewed calls for a comprehensive Bill of Rights.

The results of elections in Scotland and Wales also generated heated debate. Sinn Féin Chief Whip Sinéad Ennis described the results as an "historic election success" for the SNP and Plaid Cymru, saying they reflected "a damning indictment of successive British Governments." DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley countered that "the unionist majority in Scotland still prevails when it comes to voting intentions" and warned that "split unionism will cost seats." TUV's Timothy Gaston noted the SNP had lost six seats and over 400,000 votes, while Alliance's Paula Bradshaw cautioned against reading constitutional mandates into results driven largely by local concerns, saying "we cannot feed a family or fix a health waiting list with a flag." SDLP leader Matthew O'Toole argued the results reflected a broader destabilisation of the UK state since the 2016 Brexit vote, which he described as leaving the UK "radically poorer, less influential and less stable."

The Assembly also debated the conviction of Pastor Clive Johnston under safe access zones legislation for preaching from John 3:16 near an abortion clinic. DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley and TUV MLA Timothy Gaston both condemned the conviction, with Buckley warning of implications for religious liberty and Gaston describing the legislation as "perverse and wicked." Buckley noted his party had prepared a petition of concern against the law but "fell one short." The conviction made international headlines and raised concerns about the scope of the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act (Northern Ireland) 2023.

During Questions to the Executive Office, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly confirmed that a comprehensive review of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 had been completed alongside a public consultation, with a 12-week consultation on a draft framework for race relations launched in March. She acknowledged genuine community concerns about social cohesion and said that efforts to combat racism would be embedded in the updated Together: Building a United Community strategy. She also confirmed that the £50 million defence growth deal, launched in April, had the potential to deliver "wide ranging economic benefits" and said she would attend Farnborough air show in the summer to champion Northern Ireland's aerospace and defence sectors.

The Finance Committee motion calling on the Minister of Finance to give due regard to reports on the 2026-29/2030 draft Budget prompted a frank assessment of the Executive's financial position. O'Toole, speaking both as Committee Chair and as Opposition leader, described the situation as "genuinely farcical," noting that section 64 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requiring an agreed Budget before the start of the financial year had already been breached. He warned that, as of the debate, the Executive was six weeks into the new financial year without an agreed Budget. Sinn Féin's Jemma Dolan acknowledged the challenging position but attributed it primarily to "decades of underfunding by the British Government" and austerity, while Alliance MLA Andrew Tennyson warned that accepting the draft Budget as it stood would mean cuts of "upwards of £700 million in the first year." Paul Frew, Chair of the Committee for Justice, noted that the Department of Justice faced a potential shortfall of £215 million by the end of the multi-year period, equivalent to the combined budgets of the Prison Service, Probation Board, Youth Justice Agency and Forensic Science Northern Ireland.

The Fiscal Council's assessment, referenced repeatedly throughout the Budget debate, warned that the draft Budget theoretically balances at the start of the year but is "unlikely to unfold as presented," with baselines for Health and Education set below current spending levels. The council also cautioned strongly against normalising overspending, noting that "historic overspends, once considered unacceptable, are now more tolerated."

In Members' Statements, MLAs raised a range of constituency concerns. East Belfast MLA John McReynolds condemned antisocial behaviour involving children as young as 10 and 11 in his constituency at the weekend, calling for additional funding for youth services. Derry MLA Diana Middleton condemned sectarian attacks at the Fountain and Bishop Street interface involving masonry, petrol bombs and fireworks, describing them as "designed to intimidate, isolate and drive people out of their homes." Upper Bann MLA Jonathan Buckley paid tribute to Newtownabbey man William Lloyd-Lavery's victims, calling for changes to the use of character references after conviction for sexual assault. Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty congratulated Eithne and Colin Bell as they stepped back from the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust after 13 years helping 2,500 families repatriate loved ones from almost 100 countries.

The Assembly approved three Committee Stage extensions: the Petroleum Exploration and Licensing (Repeal) Bill extended to 30 October 2026, the Utility Regulator (Support for Decarbonisation Preparation) Bill extended to 20 November 2026, and the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill extended to 13 November 2026. The Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill, which raises the minimum age of marriage to 18 without exception and introduces non-religious belief marriages into the statutory framework, was described by Finance Committee Chair O'Toole as warranting careful scrutiny, with the extended date described as "a limit rather than a target."

During Infrastructure questions, Minister Liz Kimmins confirmed that 10,000 road repairs had been completed in eight weeks following the additional winter recovery road fund, and that over 500 applications had been received for a new recruitment campaign for industrial road workers. She also confirmed that Kilrea Bridge had reopened on 18 February 2026 following structural repairs, while acknowledging ongoing concerns from local traders about footfall. The Department confirmed spending of just over £1 million on vehicle damage compensation in each of the past two financial years, prompting calls from several MLAs for a review of claims criteria and a fuller assessment of the true cost of the claims process.