A suburb of Belfast, seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, and former seat of the parliament of Northern Ireland. Created by the Government of Ireland Act (1920) as a subordinate body to Westminster, the Stormont Parliament was dominated by the Ulster Unionist Party until, following the breakdown in law and order in the late 1960s, it was suspended in 1972. Direct rule from Westminster was imposed, to be administered by civil servants of the Northern Ireland Office based in Stormont Castle. The Northern Ireland Assembly has met there since 1999.