Alliance gains two seats on Education Authority board

The Education Authority is one of the biggest public bodies in Northern Ireland

Both the DUP and SDLP have lost seats to the Alliance Party on the Education Authority (EA) board following the assembly election.

Eight of the EA board's 20 members are nominated by political parties according to the D'Hondt mechanism.

Alliance is entitled to two places on the EA board for the first time after its gains in the May election.

The former DUP assembly member (MLA) Mervyn Storey is a new member of the board after his nomination by the DUP.

He joins his party colleague Jonathan Craig - also a former MLA - with previous Democratic Unionist Party-nominated members Nelson McCausland and David Cargo stepping down.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has nominated John Kyle for its seat on the EA board, replacing former principal Andy McMorran.

Mr Kyle joined the UUP in February, after he left the Progressive Unionist Party.

The Alliance Party has put forward its chairperson Stephen Donnelly and vice-chairperson Rachael Ferguson, who are both councillors, to sit on the EA board.

The Alliance Party, led by Naomi Long seen in the centre, made big gains in May's election

The three Sinn Féin members are unchanged - Angela Mervyn, Frank Maskey and Paul Kavanagh.

With a budget of more than £1bn and responsibility for more than 40,000 employees, the EA is one of the biggest public bodies in Northern Ireland.

The authority is responsible for employing teachers, school transport, special educational needs (SEN) provision, school buildings and catering.

An independent review into whether the EA's support for children with SEN is "fit for purpose" is currently taking place.

That follows a number of critical reports into failings in the EA's services for children with SEN.

The other members of the 20-strong EA board represent a range of interests, including integrated, Irish medium and grammar schools and the main churches.

The nomination of political members to the EA board is independent of any process to fill ministerial posts in the executive.