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Latest link to Sweeney too much for DUP

By David Gordon
Wednesday, 20 February 2008

The final version of the freedom of information (FOI) reply that helped seal Ian Paisley Jnr's fate can now be viewed in full.

Issued by the Assembly - the document, which can be downloaded from the link below, gives the constituency office rental claims made by each MLA.


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Draft figures were circulated in the Assembly last week for checking, prior to release.

They drew attention at Stormont to the sizeable rent claims being made by Ian Paisley Jnr and his First Minister father for their office in Ballymena.

This in turn led to questions being asked about ownership of the property.

It was then confirmed that businessman Seymour Sweeney had secured the mortgage for its purchase last year and that the company which owned the property was headed by Mr Paisley Jnr's father-in-law.

This latest connection between Mr Sweeney and the Junior Minister seemingly proved too much for senior DUP colleagues.

Mr Paisley Jnr resigned two days after the link was reported in the Belfast Telegraph and News Letter.

The Assembly FOI disclosure has now been officially issued. It states that the two Paisleys are each receiving £28,600 per year for the office.

This combined total of £57,200 is lower than the draft figure circulated last week.

MLAs - unlike Members of Parliament - are permitted to claim rental expenses for constituency offices owned by family members.

The FOI release followed a request by this newspaper submitted last month.

Details of the landlords of MLA offices have been withheld by Stormont officials. This decision will be challenged, if necessary through a complaint to the Information Commissioner, the watchdog for the FOI Act.

The Assembly argued that revealing the identity of commercial landlord interests could cause them financial difficulties.

Its FOI response said: "Despite the considerable political developments in Northern Ireland in recent times, the potential for economic sanctions towards commercial interests from a differing community background persists."

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