Assembly Publishes MLA Expenses

 
The Northern Ireland Assembly has today published MLA Office Cost Allowances and expenses for the year 2008-09 and the first quarter of 2009-10. For the first time, the figures provide details on individual claims by MLAs.
 
The Office Cost Allowance provides funding to MLAs to undertake Assembly and constituency work and includes the cost of running a constituency office and employing staff.
 
Speaker of the Assembly, William Hay MLA said: “The Assembly Commission agreed in June that, from the end of September 2009, it would be placing more information about MLAs’ expenses into the public domain. We understand that people want to know how public money is being spent and to reassure themselves that it is being used effectively and efficiently.
 
“Improving transparency does not stop here: we are in the process of making all expenses and Office Cost Allowances, from 2003, available on the Northern Ireland Assembly website from the end of November 2009.”

Each MLA can claim up to £72,660 a year to cover the running costs of their constituency offices. This total was raised from £48,000 to £70,000 by Secretary of State Peter Hain on the restoration of devolution in 2007. It was further increased by £2,660 in 2008.

The bulk of the annual allowances paid out is comprised of office costs with travel claims providing the other main source of expenses expenditure.   Around £8 million is claimed overall every year. An MLA'a salary is currently £43,101, not including any extra amounts they may recieve for holding additional offices. when a £5m pay bill is taken into account. Once allowances and pay are added up, Northern ireland's MLA cost arounf £13 million. .

 A large proportion of the constituency office expenses go on staffing, rent, rates and utility bills. However a variety of day to day and sundry items, such as cleaning products and supplies, TVs and TV Licences, decorating and maintenace items and services, have also been claimed for.  

A range of payments were made by a number of MLAs to their parties. These covered such areas as secretarial and research work, press office assistance and media training.

The material made public by Stormont today  can be viewed from this morning on the Northern Ireland Assembly website at  www.niassembly.gov.uk/.