Pay rise for MLAs is under consideration
A CROSS-party report to be put before the Assembly next week is recommending MLAs' salaries rise to more than £50,000 after the next local Assembly election in 2011.
The current base salary for an MLA is around 43,000 which is 10,000 less than members of the Welsh assembly and 13,000 less than a Scottish assembly member.
The Assembly Commission report is due to be debated in the Assembly on Monday.
It recommends pay rises for ministers, and other office holders as well as MLAs, meaning more senior politicians would get a double rise as they collect their base MLA salary plus their special post holder pay.
The report is the commission's response to a recommendation by the Senior Salary Review body that MLAs' pay packets should be brought into line with their counterparts in Scotland and Wales.
It's understood the commission has deferred the rise until after the next election - and is also proposing that once this report is voted upon, an independent body be set up to make these decisions in future.
It's believed the First and Deputy First Ministers would receive an extra 8,000 each, with their salaries rising to 80,000 - on top of their basic Assembly pay - under the proposals.
Other ministers and office holders would also get rises and for the first time party whips would also be paid out of public funds for their role as "business managers" within the Assembly.
Some of the parties were publicly stating their opposition to pay rises for MLAs.
A Senior Salary Review Board (SSRB) recommendation to increase the wages of MLAs will come before the Assembly next week as part of a wider report.
An Ulster Unionist Party spokesman said: "We do not believe that MLAs should be responsible for voting for, or setting, their own salaries.
"It is, and has consistently been, our position that an independent body must undertake this responsibility, as is the practice in Westminster, Wales and Scotland.
"Importantly, however, such an increase would not take effect until 2011 – if the electorate don't think their MLA is worth their existing salary, or indeed an extra 7,000, then they should absolutely vote for a different candidate in the next election.
"We would strongly urge that, irrespective of what happens with pay rises for other MLAs, those with dual mandates should not receive any pay rise from the Northern Ireland Assembly."
Sinn Fein Assembly chief whip Caral Ni Chuilin said: "This entire report is being brought forward for consideration by the Assembly with no opportunity to vote on each and every specific recommendation.
"To support this report in its entirety would therefore force us to support the recommended wage increase."
She said her party opposed pay rises and added: "That is something we will not do - particularly in this time of social and economic hardship."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
