Latest news with #AssemblyMembers(RemunerationBoard
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘No easy answer' to determining salaries for politicians
There is 'no easy answer' to determine how much elected representatives should be paid, MLAs have been told. It comes as MLAs consider a proposal for a new independent board to determine salaries for Northern Ireland Assembly members. The Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill was introduced in the Assembly earlier this year 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 which has been defunct for a number of years. An ad hoc committee has been set up at Stormont to consider the Bill following concern expressed by some MLAs, who have claimed it is an attempt ensure salaries are increased. 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 (113,679 euro/£94,537). Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – which sets pay and pensions for MPs, said pay for public representatives is 'a matter quite understandably of considerable public interest'. He told MLAs on the committee there is 'no easy answer to the question as to what elected representatives should be paid'. He said they take into account a range of factors, but described 'unique roles' which are hard to compare, adding 'there is no single simple approach that had stood the test of time in terms of the level of pay'. Stressing the importance of fairness, he said: 'For example, enabling people from all backgrounds without independent wealth to become parliamentarians, transparency, explicability and the independence of the decision making body have all been important components of our work'. Mr Lloyd also made the point that at a time when trust in Parliament is low, and 'democracy itself is increasingly under threat around the world', he said 'it is incumbent on bodies like IPSA to communicate to the public in very clear terms why it's necessary to support the parliamentary work of members and how we decide their pay'. He added: 'We know when we publish our proposal and that goes public, we will get a very strong reaction from the media and the public, I can summarise that reaction as often being, either pay them nothing or pay them much more. I think we're ending somewhere in between those two. 'But I think understanding the pressures on MPs, kinds of roles they are playing, the degree to which remuneration affects people's decision to stand in the first place, and also how we can ensure that we are reflecting the experiences of citizens in an appropriate way, setting an appropriate level, those things we consult on informally and engage with people on informally throughout the year, in addition to our statutory consultation process.' Committee chair Philip Brett told members that it will be necessary to seek a short extension to the committee stage of the Bill, which is due to end on April 1. He said they intend to move forward with the clause by clause consideration of the Bill later this month.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No easy answer' to determining salaries for politicians
There is 'no easy answer' to determine how much elected representatives should be paid, MLAs have been told. It comes as MLAs consider a proposal for a new independent board to determine salaries for Northern Ireland Assembly members. The Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill was introduced in the Assembly earlier this year 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 which has been defunct for a number of years. An ad hoc committee has been set up at Stormont to consider the Bill following concern expressed by some MLAs, who have claimed it is an attempt ensure salaries are increased. 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 (113,679 euro/£94,537). Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – which sets pay and pensions for MPs, said pay for public representatives is 'a matter quite understandably of considerable public interest'. He told MLAs on the committee there is 'no easy answer to the question as to what elected representatives should be paid'. He said they take into account a range of factors, but described 'unique roles' which are hard to compare, adding 'there is no single simple approach that had stood the test of time in terms of the level of pay'. Stressing the importance of fairness, he said: 'For example, enabling people from all backgrounds without independent wealth to become parliamentarians, transparency, explicability and the independence of the decision making body have all been important components of our work'. Mr Lloyd also made the point that at a time when trust in Parliament is low, and 'democracy itself is increasingly under threat around the world', he said 'it is incumbent on bodies like IPSA to communicate to the public in very clear terms why it's necessary to support the parliamentary work of members and how we decide their pay'. He added: 'We know when we publish our proposal and that goes public, we will get a very strong reaction from the media and the public, I can summarise that reaction as often being, either pay them nothing or pay them much more. I think we're ending somewhere in between those two. 'But I think understanding the pressures on MPs, kinds of roles they are playing, the degree to which remuneration affects people's decision to stand in the first place, and also how we can ensure that we are reflecting the experiences of citizens in an appropriate way, setting an appropriate level, those things we consult on informally and engage with people on informally throughout the year, in addition to our statutory consultation process.' Committee chair Philip Brett told members that it will be necessary to seek a short extension to the committee stage of the Bill, which is due to end on April 1. He said they intend to move forward with the clause by clause consideration of the Bill later this month.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New plans for MLA pay introduced at Stormont
New plans to set pay levels for Stormont MLAs have been introduced in the assembly. For five years, the Independent Financial Review Panel (IFRP) set wages and expenses for politicians in the assembly. But the terms of the three members ended in 2016 and they were never replaced. The Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill proposes setting up a new independent board. It is backed by the Assembly Commission, which includes representatives of the main parties. Unlike the IFRP, the new panel will only have the sole remit of setting pay and pension entitlements for MLAs. Like the IFRP, it will also be asked to take into account the salaries of MPs, TDs and Senators in the Oireachtas, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and the Welsh Assembly. Members of the Welsh Assembly currently take home a salary of £72,057, while MSPs in Scotland take home £72,196 while MLAs at Stormont get a salary of £52,500. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said he believed it was "highly likely" the new board would increase MLAs salaries, given the difference with their counterparts in other parts of the UK and Ireland. "I do not believe that MLAs should receive a pay rise of one penny, never mind £19,000," he said. "I urge any independent body reviewing MLA pay to link it to our performance in the house; to consider the fact that we are members of a legislative Assembly that seldom legislates; to consider that MLAs sit on scrutiny committees that do not scrutinise," he added. Trevor Clarke, the DUP representative on the assembly commission, rejected claims that a pay rise for members was inevitable as a result of setting up of the new body. "There is a danger that we are calling into question the independence of an independent panel," Mr Clarke said. "Members have not decided anything. Indeed, members agree with many of the points made about why we should not set our salaries. That was agreed many years ago, hence the need for an independent panel to set them." MLAs last got a pay rise of £500 in their salary last April, in line with rules set by the IFRP before it ceased nine years ago. Once the new bill is passed, the power to determine allowances payable to MLAs, which relates to travel and office expenses, will sit with the Assembly Commission. MLAs previously took issue with some of the rules the IFRP imposed, including limits on salaries for constituency office staff and other matters such as office signage. A spokesperson for the commission said the new panel will have independent membership and "take independent decisions on the appropriate level for the salaries and pensions" of MLAs. They added that the assembly had previously agreed to change the system in 2020, which set out that salaries and pensions of MLAs should continue to be determined independently. They said that after that decision, the changes were delayed due to the Covid pandemic and the suspension of power-sharing. "However, in introducing this new Bill today, the Assembly Commission has taken the first step towards ensuring that the statute book reflects the position previously agreed by the Assembly. "It will provide for the independent oversight in relation to members' salaries and pensions to continue."
