Bill to establish independent board for MLA pay moves a step closer
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.
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
Trevor Clarke
'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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
MPs raise concerns about Jersey's 'backdoor route into the UK'
MPs in the UK have raised concerns about Jersey 's French ID card scheme, saying it opens a "backdoor route into the UK" for potential illegal immigrants. The ID card scheme grants French visitors access to the island for the day without the need for a passport. It was introduced in both Bailiwicks in 2023, after it was found the number of day trippers had fallen post-Brexit - and last week, Jersey's government voted unanimously to extend the scheme on the basis of its success. However, UK MPs are now flagging it as a risk to their own border security. Chris Philp, the UK's Shadow Home Secretary and Conservative MP for Croydon South, says "our concern is that French ID cards are not particularly secure documents - it is possible to forge them relatively easily. "And because the Channel Islands are part of the Common Travel Area, the checks between the Channel Islands and the UK mainland are nothing like as strict as a regular passport control." Whilst no person has been identified to have exploited the scheme in this way in the past two years, Philp argues "concerns about border control are higher now than they ever have been." Citing rising number of immigrants who've made their way to the UK on small boats from Calais, he argues Jersey's scheme leaves a chink in the UK's armour that has the power to "snowball into something much larger" if left unaddressed. "When you have a vulnerability with your border security, what can start off as a very small problem can rapidly grow as illegal immigrants and others exploit vulnerabilities", he says. Philp hasn't raised concerns with members of Jersey's government directly. However, the island's Home Affairs Minister, Deputy Mary le Hegarat, admitted in the Assembly last week that "it is quite clear with correspondence from the Home Office that this is not a project they endorse." She added: "This heightens the risk for us in relation to the Common Travel Area and also potentially us being given a hard border." But Deputy Ian Gorst, Jersey's Minister for External Relations, says suitable checks and balances are in place to ensure the system isn't exploited as a pathway to the mainland. "These arrivals on their ID card have to have a return ticket for the ferry and there have been no incidences of onward travel to other places within the Common Travel Area. "So we can be confident that our border forces are protecting us and yet at the same time bringing this benefit to Jersey's economy." Guernsey is in the process of deciding whether to extend their version of the scheme for another year. A Guernsey Government spokesperson says: "It is the intention in Guernsey to extend the French Identity Card Scheme locally, on the condition it does not place our membership of the Common Travel Area at risk. "Guernsey Border Agency Officers have been in contact with the UK to discuss the matter from a Bailiwick of Guernsey perspective, and will continue to work with UK counterparts around the introduction of ETAs." Want the inside track on the issues that will shape Guernsey's Election this June? Listen to Guernsey Votes, an ITV Channel podcast packed with expert guests, local insight and analysis you can trust...
Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Police launch investigation after agriculture minister says he received a death threat
Speaking about threats against those in public office, Chief Superintendent Stephen Murray said it is 'totally unacceptable' for elected representatives to face abuse or threats for doing their job. Last week Mr Muir told the Assembly that he and officials in his department had been the target of 'vile' homophobic, racist and misogynistic comments on social media over his department's proposed Nutrients Action Programme (NAP). However, speaking today the minister said that the situation had 'taken a disturbing turn' in recent days after he received a death threat. It comes during heated opposition from the farming community to Mr Muir's NAP proposals which are currently out for consultation. Mr Muir has been urged to scrap the proposals which are aimed at improving water quality and the wider environment by reducing and preventing pollution caused or induced by nutrients from agricultural sources. Opponents say the proposals could devastate agriculture, reduce livestock numbers and undermine food security. Speaking to Cool FM on Monday Mr Muir revealed details of the threat which he said did 'not reflect the farming community in Northern Ireland'. 'As minister I have been out and about, I've been welcomed into the homes of many farmers and (had) very respectful engagement around what is a consultation,' he said. 'But things have really taken a disturbing turn last week when there was a zoom call to discuss the NAP proposals and consultation, someone decided to post a comment which essentially is threatening to have me shot.' He added: 'I'm very disappointed, I know this does not reflect the farming community in Northern Ireland, and I think it is really important that I say that. "I know the police are taking this very seriously and it's important that when we are engaging in what is a consultation about draft proposals, people lower the tone a bit." News Catchup - Monday 9th June 2025 He urged people to take a 'step back' adding there 'is no need to issue death threats against me' or for discriminatory comments aimed at officials in his department and people working in the agri-food sector. A spokesperson for the PSNI confirmed that an investigation had been launched adding that any reports of abuse, harassment or criminality directed at elected representatives would be thoroughly investigated. Chief Superintendent Stephen Murray added: 'It is totally unacceptable that anyone should face abuse or threats simply for carrying out the duties of their office. We will thoroughly investigate any such incident. 'We will continue to do all we can to ensure that all of our politicians are supported, and that they can undertake their role free from fear and intimidation. 'We regularly engage with our elected representatives in order to provide information on personal safety, how the Police Service can support them and, crucially, when to report an incident to police. 'We regularly engage with Assembly and Parliamentary officials, and the Electoral Commission, in regard to elected representative safety.'
Glasgow Times
6 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Around 1,000 doctors urge MPs to vote against ‘unsafe' assisted dying Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will return to the House of Commons for debate on Friday, with MPs expected to consider further amendments. But in a letter, published this week, doctors from across the NHS have urged lawmakers to listen to those 'who would have to deliver the consequences of this deeply flawed Bill'. They warn the Bill 'poses a real threat to both patients and the medical workforce'. In its current form the proposed legislation, which applies only to England and Wales, would mean terminally ill adults with only six months left to live could apply for assistance to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel. Last month, MPs approved a change in the Bill to ensure no medics would be obliged to take part in assisted dying. Doctors already had an opt-out but the new clause extends that to anyone, including pharmacists and social care workers. Encouraging or assisting suicide is currently against the law in England and Wales, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. The letter to MPs said: 'As experienced medical professionals who regularly work with dying patients and who have reviewed the worldwide evidence on assisted dying, it is our opinion that this Bill poses a real threat to both patients and the medical workforce, and we urge you to vote against it. 'We are concerned that the private member's Bill process has not facilitated a balanced approach to the collection of evidence and input from key stakeholders including doctors, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups. 'This Bill will widen inequalities, it provides inadequate safeguards and, in our collective view, is simply not safe. 'This is the most important piece of healthcare legislation for 60 years and we urge you to listen to the doctors who would have to deliver the consequences of this deeply flawed Bill.' Sir Ed Davey welcomed the letter on Monday, telling Sky News he had 'real concerns'. 'I have voted against this assisted dying legislation, as I did on previous occasions,' the Liberal Democrat leader said. 'I have real concerns about the pressure on individuals, that they will put on themselves, if they think they are a burden on their family, so I welcome this letter.' He added: 'I hope, as time has gone on, as the arguments have been better exposed, that MPs will switch sides and join the side that I and many MPs are on.' But Sir Chris Bryant said he would be voting in favour. The technology minister told Sky News: 'The Government doesn't have a formal position at all and individual members are free to choose how they vote. 'I'm not going to hide my own personal preference. I abstained on the first time round, I decided I wasn't going to vote because I wanted to hear the debate. 'I have listened to a lot of the debate. Of course, I don't want anybody to feel that they are a burden on society and that should lead them towards taking their own life, but I also have heard the cries of people who are absolutely miserable, and that's why I will be voting for the Bill.' Some of the Bill's opponents have urged MPs to focus on improving end-of-life care rather than legislating for assisted dying. Ahead of last month's Commons debate on the Bill, two royal medical colleges raised concerns over the proposed legislation. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said it believes there are 'concerning deficiencies', while the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) said it has 'serious concerns' and cannot support the Bill. People with terminal illnesses, surrounded by loved ones, display their dying wishes on tags outside the Palace of Westminster in London to urge MPs to support the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (Jas Lehal/PA) Opinions among members of the medical profession remain varied, with TV doctor Hilary Jones describing assisted dying for the terminally ill as 'kind and compassionate', adding that he would help a patient to end their life if the law was changed. The GP, often seen on ITV's Good Morning Britain and the Lorraine show, told the PA news agency he believes medicine will go 'back to the Dark Ages' if proposed legislation being considered at Westminster is voted down. While Friday is expected to see debate on further amendments to the Bill, it is thought a vote on the overall legislation might not take place until the following Friday, June 20.
