01/11/2018

NI Assembly Members Pay Cut By 15%

The first drop in the salaries of Northern Ireland politicians has taken effect.

The 90 MLA's have seen their pay cut by 15%, (£7,425) and can expect a further decrease in January.

Northern Ireland has been without a governing executive for almost two years now, since the power-sharing parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, split in a bitter row in January 2017.

The further cut in the new year of £6,187 will reduce the salaries to £35,888, from the normal £49,500.

Secretary of State Karen Bradley announced her decision to cut MLA pay in September of this year, and wrote to the politicians at the time to outline her move.

It was first suggested in a 2017 report by the former assembly Chief Executive Trevor Reaney.

Travel allowances have also been cut, but staff who work for the MLAs will not see their salaries reduced.

It was revealed last month that more than £275,000 had been paid to the politicians in allowances for travelling to and from Stormont since the suspension of institutions.

Full salaries will be restored if there is a return to devolved government.

Meanwhile, civil servants will continue to run public services, after Mrs Bradley introduced legislation to Westminster last week to give greater legal clarity to government departments for decision-making in the absence of ministers.

Although MLA's can still carry out constituency work, they are unable to fulfill some of their main duties, including passing any new legislation or taking part in assembly debates.

It emerged in July that their pay had cost the taxpayer more than £9m since the assembly collapsed, up until March 2018.



(JG/CM)

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