Assembly members pay to be cut by over £13k
Last updated 6th Sep 2018
Stormont Assembly members' pay will be reduced by more than £13,000 as they are not performing all their functions, Secretary of State Karen Bradley said.
Northern Ireland's devolved legislature in Belfast has not sat since early last year in a row over identity issues like the Irish language, which has prevented the appointment of ministers.
Repeated negotiations convened by the British and Irish governments have failed to persuade former coalition partners the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein to reconcile their differences.
Mrs Bradley told Parliament: "While Assembly members continue to perform valuable constituency functions, it is clear that during any such interim period they will not be performing the full range of their legislative functions.
"So, in parallel, I will take the steps necessary to reduce Assembly members' salaries in line with the recommendations made by Trevor Reaney.
"The reduction will take effect in two stages, commencing in November - it would not reduce the allowance for staff as I do not think that MLAs' Members of the Legislative Assembly staff should suffer because of the politicians' failure to form an Executive.''
Mrs Bradley's predecessor as Northern Ireland secretary, James Brokenshire, commissioned former Assembly chief executive Mr Reaney to examine the controversial issue of paying Assembly members.
He recommended the 27.5% cut, a move that would take the standard salary rate of £49,500 down to £35,888 in two stages.
Public services have suffered because no ministers are in place to make major decisions.
Controversial issues like provision of abortion cannot be addressed in the absence of an Assembly.
In explaining the need for a "stepped approach'', Mr Reaney said the impact of any salary reduction on MLAs' personal circumstances has been acknowledged.
Mr Reaney addded that research shows Assembly members spend 50% to 60% of their time on constituency work.
The average working week exceeds 50 hours, and sometimes up to 80 hours he added.
Alliance Leader Naomi Long has said the success of the Secretary of State’s latest plan for Northern Ireland will be seen through the actions of all involved in coming weeks, and added the interventions were “long overdue”.
Speaking after Karen Bradley revealed her plan in the House of Commons – which included interim decision making measures and details over the future of MLA salaries – Mrs Long said she’s glad to see the SOS “finally rise to the challenge”, after Alliance convened the first meeting of the political parties in eight months this week.
“The public anger at the political drift here is growing, so if the Secretary of State is confident that what she has outlined today will be the catalyst to get things moving again, particularly with respect to key decisions that are required, then that is to be welcomed,” she said.
"There is up to £2bn of investment being held up due to the inability to take strategic decisions, and it is imperative that the Secretary of State's proposals unblock that as a matter of urgency.
“It was also clear on Monday when, in the absence of any kind of leadership from the SOS and her team, representatives of all parties responded to my invite to get around the table and begin the process of finding lasting solutions to the many issues that still divide us, that there was a clear need for the two Governments to live up to their respective responsibilities.
“That the SOS has responded so quickly to our call for her to step up and fulfil her role to the fullest is to be welcomed: it remains to be seen how these plans will roll out, and we will be meeting with her on Monday to discuss the detail of her proposals.
"The challenge now is ensuring that any momentum created over this last week is maintained and carried forward and that parties refocus on resolving their differences to deliver proper devolved government.
“The frustration and anger felt by the public and my colleagues and I, was left unaddressed for far too long; however, I welcome that she has finally taken a decision to cut MLA pay. It was in May last year that the Alliance Party was the first to call for a cut in salaries, and now over a year later we finally have movement on the issue.
“Whilst all of these interim measures are important, the crucial issue for Alliance remains unchanged – 18 months of no Government is unacceptable and we now need a clear timescale for fresh, inclusive talks, with an independent facilitator appointed immediately, to secure devolution for generations to come.