TUV rejects Alliance claim that MLA pay amendment may be motivated by 'sectarianism'
A claim by an Alliance politician that attempts to remove an obligation on Stormont to benchmark MLA pay against the Irish parliament may have been “sectarian” has been rejected by the TUV.
Paula Bradshaw claimed that an amendments from North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston – to ensure any comparisons are carried out with other parliaments within the United Kingdom – may have been “on the basis of sectarianism”.
Mr Gaston said benchmarking pay against other parts of the UK is one thing, but said linking it to the Republic “is yet another unnecessary way of linking this part of the UK” to Dublin.
The Alliance Party’s chief whip told the Assembly she was “going to brush past” the TUV MLA’s amendment on removing a reference to the Dail and the Seanad, but questioned why he had done it.
“When I read it, I thought ‘was it sectarian in nature?’. I would welcome his explanation”, she said. The South Belfast MLA then rejected an intervention from Mr Gaston, and continued: “I wondered was it on the basis of sectarianism that he’s put forward that clause”.
She also rejected TUV criticism that as Stormont has fewer responsibilities than other legislatures “across these islands” – MLAs should have less pay.
“This is simply not the case, as per research that was provided to the ad hoc committee by the Raise research facility in the Assembly.
“Yes there are variations on devolved responsibilities. However, to imply that we have a lesser workload is false. We did not, as was not our responsibility, look at the responsibilities of the different legislators elected to the different regional assemblies across these islands”.
She described some of Mr Gaston’s amendments to the bill as “superfluous” and said they had been proposed for no other purpose than to make a political point about the Windsor Framework.
Mr Gaston questioned why the TUV was the only unionist party opposed to the comparison with Dublin, and referred members to the opening text of all Assembly bills which say “Be it enacted by being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and assented to by His Majesty”.