Latest news with #AssemblyCommission
South Wales Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Stormont MLA Remuneration Board Bill passes despite opposition
The Assembly Members (Independent Remuneration Board) Bill will establish a new independent board to determine salaries and pensions for MLAs. It will replace the previous Independent Financial Review Panel which has been defunct for a number of years. Currently, the basic salary for an MLA is £51,500, but this can rise with position including chairing some committees or serving as a minister, with the First and deputy First Ministers receiving a salary of £123,500. A report alongside the Bill showed MLA salaries are lower than those received by Members of the Scottish Parliament (£72,196), Assembly Members at the Welsh Assembly (£72,057) and Members of the Irish Parliament (113,679 euros/£94,537). The Bill, put forward by the Assembly Commission, was passed by an oral vote by MLAs on Monday, with the sole MLAs representing the TUV and People Before Profit both opposing the Bill. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed it is 'nothing more than a vehicle to enable MLAs to award themselves a substantial pay rise', and objected to former MLAs being entitled to sit on the new board. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll also criticised that former MLAs could sit on the board, and said that a pay rise for MLAs amid 'rising rates of poverty' would be 'completely tone deaf'. However UUP MLA Andy Allen, who sits on the Assembly Commission, described a 'technical Bill' to deal with the process of how salaries and pensions are set. Closing the debate Sinn Fein MLA Sinead Ennis slammed what she termed 'inaccuracies and misunderstandings' over the Bill. She also warned that if the Bill did not pass the Assembly 'will have failed' to ensure legal clarity and leave no structure in place to determine the salaries and pensions of MLAs. 'In passing this Bill today, future discussions and decisions around the salaries and pensions of members will shift to the independent remuneration board,' she told MLAs. 'That board has independence in deciding what factors it wants to consider before determining its view on the appropriate level of salaries and pensions for members. 'That is the appropriate way of dealing with these matters.'
Western Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Stormont MLA Remuneration Board Bill passes despite opposition
The Assembly Members (Independent Remuneration Board) Bill will establish a new independent board to determine salaries and pensions for MLAs. It will replace the previous Independent Financial Review Panel which has been defunct for a number of years. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed the Bill is 'nothing more than a vehicle to enable MLAs to award themselves' with a pay rise (Liam McBurney/PA) Currently, the basic salary for an MLA is £51,500, but this can rise with position including chairing some committees or serving as a minister, with the First and deputy First Ministers receiving a salary of £123,500. A report alongside the Bill showed MLA salaries are lower than those received by Members of the Scottish Parliament (£72,196), Assembly Members at the Welsh Assembly (£72,057) and Members of the Irish Parliament (113,679 euros/£94,537). The Bill, put forward by the Assembly Commission, was passed by an oral vote by MLAs on Monday, with the sole MLAs representing the TUV and People Before Profit both opposing the Bill. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed it is 'nothing more than a vehicle to enable MLAs to award themselves a substantial pay rise', and objected to former MLAs being entitled to sit on the new board. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll also criticised that former MLAs could sit on the board, and said that a pay rise for MLAs amid 'rising rates of poverty' would be 'completely tone deaf'. However UUP MLA Andy Allen, who sits on the Assembly Commission, described a 'technical Bill' to deal with the process of how salaries and pensions are set. Closing the debate Sinn Fein MLA Sinead Ennis slammed what she termed 'inaccuracies and misunderstandings' over the Bill. She also warned that if the Bill did not pass the Assembly 'will have failed' to ensure legal clarity and leave no structure in place to determine the salaries and pensions of MLAs. 'In passing this Bill today, future discussions and decisions around the salaries and pensions of members will shift to the independent remuneration board,' she told MLAs. 'That board has independence in deciding what factors it wants to consider before determining its view on the appropriate level of salaries and pensions for members. 'That is the appropriate way of dealing with these matters.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Stormont MLA Remuneration Board Bill passes despite opposition
The Stormont Assembly have voted to pass a new independent board to determine their salaries despite opposition from the smallest parties. The Assembly Members (Independent Remuneration Board) Bill will establish a new independent board to determine salaries and pensions for MLAs. It will replace the previous Independent Financial Review Panel which has been defunct for a number of years. Currently, the basic salary for an MLA is £51,500, but this can rise with position including chairing some committees or serving as a minister, with the First and deputy First Ministers receiving a salary of £123,500. A report alongside the Bill showed MLA salaries are lower than those received by Members of the Scottish Parliament (£72,196), Assembly Members at the Welsh Assembly (£72,057) and Members of the Irish Parliament (113,679 euros/£94,537). The Bill, put forward by the Assembly Commission, was passed by an oral vote by MLAs on Monday, with the sole MLAs representing the TUV and People Before Profit both opposing the Bill. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed it is 'nothing more than a vehicle to enable MLAs to award themselves a substantial pay rise', and objected to former MLAs being entitled to sit on the new board. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll also criticised that former MLAs could sit on the board, and said that a pay rise for MLAs amid 'rising rates of poverty' would be 'completely tone deaf'. However UUP MLA Andy Allen, who sits on the Assembly Commission, described a 'technical Bill' to deal with the process of how salaries and pensions are set. Closing the debate Sinn Fein MLA Sinead Ennis slammed what she termed 'inaccuracies and misunderstandings' over the Bill. She also warned that if the Bill did not pass the Assembly 'will have failed' to ensure legal clarity and leave no structure in place to determine the salaries and pensions of MLAs. 'In passing this Bill today, future discussions and decisions around the salaries and pensions of members will shift to the independent remuneration board,' she told MLAs. 'That board has independence in deciding what factors it wants to consider before determining its view on the appropriate level of salaries and pensions for members. 'That is the appropriate way of dealing with these matters.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Stormont: MLAs approve new body to set their salaries
A law to set up a new panel for setting the salaries of Northern Ireland Assembly members (MLAs) has passed its final stage at bill will create an independent remuneration board to determine the salaries and pensions of was passed with support from the main Stormont some MLAs criticised the bill, arguing it would lead to assembly members receiving significant pay rises. How much are MLAs paid? MLAs earn £53,000 a year, which is less than their counterparts in the UK's other devolved legislatures in Scotland and of the Scottish Parliament receive £74,507 while members of the Welsh Parliament earn £76, Westminster, MPs earn £93,904 a year while members of the Dáil (lower house of the Irish parliament) earn €113,679 (£94,537).The wages and expenses of MLAs were previously set by the Independent Financial Review Panel (IFRP).But the terms of its three members ended in 2016 and they were never at the time took issue with some of the rules the panel imposed, including limits on salaries for constituency office staff and other matters such as office Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill will establish a new panel with the sole remit of setting MLAs' pay and pension bill was backed by the Assembly Commission, a body which handles the running of Parliament Buildings and involves representatives of Stormont's main the IFRP, the new panel is expected to take into account other jurisdictions when setting MLA salaries. TUV and PBP criticise bill The bill was passed on Monday with just two MLAs voicing their opposition in the assembly Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston said the bill had been marked by "secrecy, self-interest and indeed plenty of spin".He said there was no "proper public consultation" on the bill."In reality, it is nothing more than a vehicle to enable MLAs to award themselves a substantial pay rise," he said."This isn't about reform. It's a loaded dice. A guaranteed upward trajectory."People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll described the bill as "tone deaf".He raised concerns over former MLAs being able to sit on the "so-called independent panel". The assembly member also criticised how a newly established board will not set rules on MLA expenses."Executive parties have proven time and time again they can't be trusted to oversee their own expenses," he said."Members can continue to deny that this bill will entail a massive pay increase. I say you're taking the public for absolute fools."Sinn Féin MLA Sinéad Ennis, the party's representative on the Assembly Commission, said there was "no good time to deal with these issues".But she there had been "misunderstandings and inaccuracies" over the bill which had been "regurgitated" during the said the commission has been focused "on the process of determining members' salaries, not the outcome". Ennis said the board would have "independence in deciding what factors it wants to consider before determining its view on the appropriate level of salaries and pensions".Andy Allen, an Ulster Unionist Party MLA and member of the Assembly Commission, said the legislation was a "technical" bill."In passing this bill, the assembly is fulfilling its responsibility to regularise the position and provide legal clarity," he said the "core purpose of this bill is to ensure that salaries of members are determined independently"."It is difficult to see how anyone could reasonably object to that."
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
‘Outrageous' – criticism as Assembly Commission puts out £35k tender for ‘media monitoring'
The Assembly Commission has put out a £35,000 tender to find a company to carry out 'media monitoring', it has emerged, prompting criticism over the use of public funds. It comes after the Executive Office (TEO) was accused of wasting public money by getting civil servants to transcribe comments made by TUV representatives during appearances on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show.
