[2] During the debate on the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly passed motions requesting the Government of the United Kingdom to delay their respective devolved legislature elections in 2015 to avoid a clash with the 2015 general election.

The UK Government passed an amendment to the bill to allow for their elections to take place in 2016.

[2] The option for an official opposition to be formed in the Assembly if there was sufficient cross community support was considered during the parliamentary debate, but was not included in the final act.

[8] The legislation prohibited people from being a member of the House of Commons or the Republic of Ireland's Dáil Éireann as well as an MLA.

[9] Three members had this possibility at the time of passage, but following the 2015 UK general election, the last person in Northern Ireland with a dual mandate was Gregory Campbell as an MLA and MP for East Londonderry.