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MLAs set for £3,000 expenses increase
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Assembly members are each getting an increase of over £3,000 in their expenses budgets, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.
And the hike means the office-running expenses pot per member has climbed to a maximum of over £75,000 a year.
The Office Cost Allowance (OCA) provides MLAs with funds to staff and run their constituency offices.
As this newspaper reported yesterday, a third of members employ relatives on their OCA-funded staff teams.
Around 20 MLAs, meanwhile, rent offices from their political parties, with the money also coming from the taxpayer-funded office allowance pot.
The annual expenses total had stood at a maximum of £72,660 but is being automatically increased by 4.4% under the terms of legislation dating back a number of years.
That involves an extra £3,197 per year, bringing the new grand total to £75,857.
The Assembly stresses that the OCA total is a maximum figure, with money only paid out for actual expenditure.
Official figures for previous years show the bulk of MLAs claiming the maximum allowed figure — or close to it.
The 4.4% rise stems from the latest inflation figure, according to the RPI Index method for calculating price rises.
The latest increase under the traditionally lower CPI Index was 3.4%. If that had been used for the Assembly, the expenses budget for each Member would have climbed by £2,470. The CPI method has been preferred by the Westminster government, for instance when setting public sector pay.
Office costs make up the bulk of the expenses bill at the Assembly.
The total had sat at £48,000 a year, but was increased to £70,000 per Member by Secretary of State Peter Hain for the return of devolution in 2007.
A new independent body is planned to fix MLA pay and expenses rates in future. Its decisions will be binding.
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Comments
40 Comments
well , as the saying goes ,at least Dick Turpin had the humility to wear a mask
Posted by robert | 29.04.10, 23:32 GMT
hey "seriously" thats a lie that Sinn Fein dont take expenses from the public purse every thing they do is FOR the public purse wise up.
Posted by Ryan | 29.04.10, 03:26 GMT
this is a good reason why cameron has said to cut public spending in Northern Ireland too much money is being spent on recruitment and schemes that produce nothing to the front line services. you need people to actually do a job properly wether they are a director or a street sweeper. the public sector is too inflated full stop more jobs is not the answer in public sector or bigger spending budgets. its the quality of front line services and no more self serving MLAS or directors who want a wage rise that produce nothing.
for the record we need a bigger private investment in Tyrone and Fermanagh. sock that to the politicians
Posted by Ryan | 29.04.10, 03:22 GMT
these people have no shame so i do'nt think anything we say will fizz on them, example , how can they claim for food when anyone else lucky enough to have a job has to pay for it from their salary ??
Posted by Robert | 28.04.10, 23:56 GMT
Further proof that only idiots actually vote for these greedy "do nothings".
I refuse to even register as may way of not participating in this farce.
Posted by man dingo | 28.04.10, 22:23 GMT
i think the best way to put an end to this joke would be to stay away from polling stations on 6th...if their not in they don't win !!!! and its not that they are doing anything positive anyway
Posted by Robert | 28.04.10, 20:58 GMT
spoil your vote and let them all know no more plundering joe public
Posted by rikie | 28.04.10, 20:55 GMT
i think its scandles these mlas have the brass neck to accept this rise while people are taking pay cuts and losing their jobs i had part of my pension frooze and got two pounds of a rise yeat they get 3000 pounds
Posted by norman.d | 28.04.10, 19:08 GMT
Election comming up,give them your answer.
Posted by UNIONCRUISER | 28.04.10, 18:59 GMT
To me this shows that our "politicians" approach office expenses with a view to take all they can get. Private companies, in general, have more frugal approach with such expenditures and are more creative with the funds they have. In this day and age, we have the ability to communciate over the internet for next to nothing. For instance we can communicate via Skype and other providers for free, we can also conduct meetings with people from home, thus reducing the need for office space. Is there really a need for all of these offices? Probably not. I am sure they could reduce these figures instead of adding to them but there is no one pushing them to do so and as a result the taxpayers have to pay for their inefficiencies. Those in power in our country have the wrong attitude and no interest in readucing costs, so we suffer. The "politicians" get what they what they desire but not necessarily what they need. It's frustrating for me to see that such things are accepted as the norm
Posted by Justin Sheehan | 28.04.10, 18:44 GMT
MLA - More Lucky Amateur's !!!!
Posted by seymour bunting | 28.04.10, 18:18 GMT
these polititions be they sinn fein or dup are taking us all on, the same old wave the flag or sham rock, and the idiots vote for them, then its who are you for an other year, while our wages or standard of living goes down, theirs go up, if you are caught doing something they want you hung, yet do far worse them selves, dont vote, but demand they stop using you like fools.
Posted by w.gould2 | 28.04.10, 17:16 GMT
This is just a case of filling their boots while they can before the salary and pension cuts and job loses hit the public sector.
Posted by David | 28.04.10, 16:40 GMT
Must be nice to have salary/expenses that increase in line with something, anything!!! Greedy Barstewards... What about making some efficiency savings like everybody else. Mad suggestion?
Posted by jon | 28.04.10, 15:24 GMT
I would suggest that in economic times such as are being experienced now, that all public employees including MLAs should be having their incomes reduced;not increased! Private sector employees do not have the same benefits that are enjoyed by the by the public sector. Anyone receiving more than 40,000 pounds per year would take a reduction of 5%. Those receiving over 75,000 a cut of 10%.
Posted by RMS | 28.04.10, 15:21 GMT
It is incomprehensible that these fat cats can put their snouts into the trough again. Is it any wonder Cameron said N I was a target for cuts. N I with a population of only 1.5 million cannot afford all these "politicans" with inflated sense of their worth. Personally I prefer that we cut "politicans" rather than nurses or policemen. Get rid of Stormont and have 10 MP's in Westminster-4 for Belfast and one for each of the Provinces.
Posted by Ed | 28.04.10, 15:10 GMT
The Northern Ireland Assembly Members Act 2010 prevents dual-mandated representatives from drawing their MLA salary if they are also an MP – does not stop them from drawing expenses though as workers need to be paid etc. Its ironic that another act of Parliament states that being an MP and MEP are incompatible and thus makes it unlawful to hold this dual mandate: the inference being that being an MLA and MP are compatible or less demanding.
Posted by ZoonPol | 28.04.10, 14:21 GMT
You don't really get it, do you francis young? The answer to theft and greed is not in further theft and greed.
Posted by A Geezer | 28.04.10, 13:53 GMT
Well hands up all those who thought they were doing the job because they cared so much about the people. Enough said!
Posted by John | 28.04.10, 13:35 GMT
As a Local Government worker who has been stuck at the top of the payscale for over 10 years now with only a 1-1.5% cost of living increase per annum (usually less thatn £200 pa) I think this is an insult to myself and all low paid public sector employees. I never see or hear from my MLA's until an election is announced. Put the money into Health and Education instead.
Posted by Tillie | 28.04.10, 12:47 GMT
40 Comments