Image source, NI Assembly

A brief point of order is brought as Sinn Féin's Aisling Reilly addresses the chamber in Irish.

There is a pause while MLAs put their headsets on for simultaneous translation, and the West Belfast MLA resumes.

She says that it is good to see this translation is available.

"This is a very important day, it is important for all those who love the Irish language, and have fought to protect rights for Irish language users," she says, in Irish.

"Irish is not a threat to any member of society. It is something which should be celebrated.

"That is true of the Irish language, that is true of the Irish Language Act, that is true of equality.

"I am looking forward to seeing a new society being built, built on equality and respect."

Gerry Carroll of People Before Profit is next up.

He says he’s happy to take up the position of “socialist opposition” in the house.

He says that if “bills are rapidly rising then so should workers’ wages", adding that below inflation pay offers are "unfair".

Mr Carroll goes on to “call out the actions of the DUP”.

Image source, NI Assembly

“For all their talk about the protocol, poll after poll has shown that it isn’t a priority or the number one issue that people are vexed about, whether they class themselves as unionist, nationalist or other,” he says.

“The DUP tried to cause panic and fear and whip people up based on fear and division in order to save their own seats," he adds.

The West Belfast MLA describes the DUP’s actions as “self-serving” and says there is “no democratic rationale or reason for the DUP to boycott the position of deputy first minister".

The TUV's Jim Allister says there's no reason why Mike Nesbitt or Patsy McGlone wouldn't make "a perfectly adequate and good Speaker".

He says there's a good reason why now is not the right time to appoint a speaker.

Image source, NI Assembly

"In politics, when a community is downtrodden, when a community is ignored, when it's legitimate protests are trampled underfoot then that community is entitled, nay, it must use whatever legitimate leverage it has to extricate the situation," Mr Allister says.

In reply to a question from Alliance leader Naomi Long, the TUV leader, he says "the very protocol itself is causing pain".

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SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole says he has many reasons for why his colleague Patsy McGlone is right for the post, but those words would be "in vein" so long as the DUP refuses to engage.

He says the DUP has "thwarted and demeaned" democracy.

"The DUP, a party which has the word democratic in its name, has decided to thwart democracy today," he says.

“Not only are they thwarting democracy, they are demeaning democracy.

"They are demeaning the entire process that all of us have spent the past 6 weeks engaging [in]."

UUP leader Doug Beattie stands and is silent for some time.

"Silence,” he says. “The same silence we were subjected to for three years when Sinn Féin walked out.

“The same silence we are now going to subjected to if the DUP don’t support a Speaker,” he adds.

"People will go cold and hungry in their homes and from this place there will be silence.

"People will die on waiting lists and from this house there will be silence.

“People will be desperately calling for an ambulance and from this place there will be silence.

"Today, we can at least do something - we can elect a Speaker."

He says this will allow some business to be done within the budgets that exist

“We can do something to "end the silence," he says without "compromising" the DUP's position on the protocol which he agrees is an “issue”.

He says that if this does not happen the same “uncomfortable silence you all felt when I first stood up is what you are going to feel from this moment on as the people stare at us and we give them nothing."

He says his nomination for speaker – Mike Nesbitt - has “integrity and compassion”.

Alliance leader Naomi Long says her party would be happy to support the UUP's Mike Nesbitt or Patsy McGlone, of the SDLP, for the role of Speaker.

"We come here with a can-do attitude and a commitment to serve the people who elected us," she says.

"Many of us in this chamber represent people who di not consent to Brexit in the first place and yet we turned up for work," the East Belfast MLA adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

"If you believe in devolution, as Mr Givan claims he does you do not gamble with it," she says.

Ms Long says that to sign up at the assembly and refuse to take seats is "a slap in the face to every family that struggles to make ends meet."

The DUP's Paul Givan is now on his feet.

"Last September we outlined the problems, we put forward our solutions – we were patient, we have been reasonable," he says.

"We gave space to the UK and the EU to engage in negotiations and talks.

"The DUP received a mandate in the assembly elections, a mandate to remove the Irish Sea border and our mandate will be given respect.

"Our message is now clear - it is time for action, words will no longer suffice."

He says it is because the DUP believes in devolution that it has taken the action it has.

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill says MLAs carry the "hopes and expectations of workers and families and businesses" to deliver.

"The public will be watching on today as they juggle their work and family responsibilities and struggle to manage household budgets in the hope that the parties in this chamber have the maturity and courage to shoulder our responsibilities and get down to business and act in the common good.

"There is no reason why we should be in a rolling crisis for even one second."

Image source, NI Assembly

She says the assembly has proved it can work together.

"Over the past two years this assembly and executive has delivered and we have proved that politics and power-sharing can work where we give leadership, deliver public services and champion difference and inclusion, but oppose division."

It’s now time for a speaker to be nominated.

Current speaker Alex Maskey asks for proposals.

Two members are nominated.

UUP leader Doug Beattie proposes Mike Nesbitt – this is seconded by John Stewart.

Mr Nesbitt accepts and is "honoured".

The SDLP’s Matthew O’Toole then proposes Patsy McGlone and this is seconded by party colleague Sinead McLaughlin.

Patsy McGlone accepts.

There are no further proposals for speakers and Mr Maskey opens up to any member who wishes to speak to the house.

Image source, NI Assembly

Outgoing Speaker Alex Maskey opens the Northern Ireland Assembly sitting by urging members to "not lose sight today of what we can achieve together in this assembly".

He refers to the "strong cooperation of the parties" in re-establishing the assembly and completing a considerable amount of legislation.

He says that, for him, today marks "the end of around 40 years in elected politics" and expresses his thanks to his family.

Addressing the MLAs gathered before him, he says "you have my very, very best wishes for the challenges ahead".

In a tweet, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has urged the parties to form an executive.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

There's a change in the seating arrangements in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sinn Féin is sitting to the right of the speaker where the DUP used to sit as the largest party, now Sinn Féin is entitled to that.

The SDLP is sitting next to them and Alliance remains in the middle, although quite increased in its numbers.

On the other side of the chamber is where the DUP and Ulster Unionists are sitting.

Even just looking at that, that’s quite a moment.

Image source, PA Media

The UUP leader Doug Beattie is remaining firm on his party line on the protocol and calls for more progress to be made.

“We know what the landing zone is here. We need to see immediate moves to remove checks on goods coming from GB to NI and staying here. We cannot keep having a circular conversation with no progress being made,” he says.

He says his party believes that the UK government Command Paper offers solutions to the problems.

"If there is serious will from the EU to resolve the problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol then we need to see movement from them," he says.

"They had the opportunity pre-election and chose not to. In an increasingly toxic political atmosphere, it is time to see action from them,” he adds.

The SDLP's South Belfast MP Claire Hanna accuses DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of "scrambling around for some way to cover up what is infuriating and demoralising".

She says the DUP is "thwarting the will of the vast majority of the people who voted for government, who acknowledge the challenges of the protocol".

Image source, bbc

She said everyone in Northern Ireland is being punished "in order to make a point about a mess that he [Sir Jeffrey] created and for which he has never offered a solution".

"It is cowardice in the extreme - running away from responsibility, running away from opportunity. It’s spineless and pathetic."

Speaking in the Great Hall at Stormont, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson confirmed his party would not support the election of a Speaker at Stormont.

This means the assembly cannot sit.

Mr Donaldson says his party is sending a “clear message” to the EU and the UK government that it is “serious about getting the protocol sorted”.

“Because of the harm it is doing - undermining political stability, damaging the agreements that have formed the basis of the political progress made in Northern Ireland, harming the economy and contributing to the cost of living crisis,” Mr Donaldson said.

Image source, NI Assembly

He says power-sharing has to operate on the basis of consensus.

“There is not unionist consensus for the protocol - not a single unionist MLA elected to this assembly supports the protocol.”

Mr Donaldson says he hopes work would be done in the coming “days, weeks or months ahead” on the issue of the protocol, in order to restore power-sharing".

The Alliance Party's North Down MP Stephen Farry says that the DUP must accept some of the blame for the Northern Ireland Protocol.

"The DUP are one of the primary authors of the protocol," he says.

"They will wish to deny it and argue it wasn’t what they wanted, but the protocol is the outcome of their decision making, first of all, around Brexit and then ruling out all of the softer options that were on the table before the protocol came along.

Image source, Pacemaker

"So they do need to own it and of course we need to get it reformed, make some changes to make sure it’s working properly.

"But the DUP can’t walk away and deny the reality of why we’re here and how we got here."

Stephen Walker
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

Friday the 13th was originally a well-known cult movie, one that has become a film franchise synonymous with being a horror show.

To some, the events at Stormont today will also be difficult viewing.

Without a Speaker, the Northern Ireland Assembly cannot meet of function.

It basically means, in the words of my colleague BBC Political Correspondent Jayne McCormack, that we have a "silent assembly".

In other words, it exists on paper but cannot operate.

Read more here.

Hello and welcome to BBC News NI's live page.

Thank you for joining us.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is scheduled to elect its new Speaker and deputy speakers from 14:30 BST.

But earlier on Friday, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson confirmed that he will not support the election of a new Stormont Speaker, meaning the assembly cannot sit.

Stay here for live updates and reaction.