Stormont Assembly members will look at other devolved administrations in the United Kingdom when they begin a review of their political institutions today.
Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said the Assembly and Executive Review Committee will consider whether the number of Government departments and Assembly members should remain.
There have been demands, particularly in the DUP, for the size of Northern Ireland's powersharing institutions to be reduced significantly, with a number of Government departments merged.
Northern Ireland has 108 Assembly members and 11 devolved departments for a population of 1.7 million.
This compares to the Scottish Parliament's 129 MSPs and six departments for a population of 5.1 million. The Welsh Assembly has 60 elected members and seven ministries for a population of 2.95 million.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond last week moved away from a system of nine Government departments to appointing just six senior cabinet secretaries and junior ministers.
The new Stormont committee chaired by Mr Donaldson will also have representatives from Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists and nationalist SDLP serving on it.
Mr Donaldson said he believed it had a crucial role to play in the future political development of Northern Ireland.