Bill to establish independent board for MLA pay moves a step closer
Some MLAs expressed concern that it is ‘laying the groundwork’ for a pay rise for MLAs.
A Bill to establish a new independent board to determine salaries for Northern Ireland Assembly members has moved a step closer to becoming law.
However, some expressed concern over whether the Bill was to lead to a £20,000 pay increase for MLAs.
The Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill was introduced in the Assembly earlier this month by the Assembly Commission.
It proposes the establishment of an independent Remuneration Board to determine MLA salaries and pensions, to follow the previous Independent Financial Review Panel.
The membership of the board can include no more than one former MLA.
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 (E113,679/£94,537).
The Bill passed its second stage on Monday, with the support of the largest parties.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll and TUV MLA Timothy Gaston did not back it.
Speaking during the preceding debate, DUP MLA and Assembly Commission member Trevor Clarke emphasised to MLAs that they were voting on the setting up of the board, and not on their pay levels.
“The house is today debating a largely technical Bill dealing with the process of how members’ salaries and pensions are determined,” he said.
“What we are not debating today or deciding in this Bill is the outcome of what level of members’ salaries and pensions will be.
“If this Bill is passed, it will only be the independent remuneration board that will decide that.
“The word independent is key, (neither) the Assembly Commission, nor members of this Assembly will be involved in the decisions on what the levels of member salaries will be.”
He added: “I want to state for the record that at no point has the Assembly Commission discussed, let alone taken a view on, what the salary of a Member should be”.
Mr Gaston described the process the Bill has gone through to date as “most irregular”, claiming there was not adequate consultation.
He also claimed it is the “intention” of the larger parties, including Sinn Fein, the DUP, UUP, Alliance and the SDLP to “award themselves a massive pay rise”.
Mr Carroll said he stands by his contention that the Bill is “laying the groundwork for a potential £20,000 pay increase for MLAs”.
“It’s absolutely laughable that Members today continue to feign ignorance about where this is headed,” he said.
“I hope that when this remuneration board is established it decides no pay increase is warranted.
“In fact I hope they take into account the performance of this and previous Executives since the last pay body disbanded in 2016 as well as the sorry state of our public services, widespread poverty and destitution and say that maybe an MLA pay cut is the way to go, maybe go for an average wage of the constituents that they represent, but I don’t think this will happen.”
