DUP office probe issues will be considered

The MLA expenses review will include issues raised by a probe into a showpiece DUP constituency office, it was stated today.

The Assembly Commission said its examination of the rules will “consider” matters recently referred to it by the Stormont Standards and Privileges Committee.

The Committee requested an urgent examination of the MLA expenses framework “in the interests of public accountability and securing public confidence”.

Its call followed a probe into the funding of the Ballymena constituency office run by ex-DUP leader Ian Paisley and his MLA son Ian Paisley Jnr. Assembly Standards Commissioner Tom Frawley found that no rules had been broken by the office rent — £57,200 a year — being “significantly” above market value.

He also pointed out that there are no rules limiting rental expenses or office size, and no requirement for independent valuations. The rent for the Ballymena office is paying off the mortgage for a DUP-linked firm set up in 2007 to buy the premises.

Mr Frawley stated that the MLA expenses were being used to “create a property asset for a political party”.

He also stated: “Whether this would be perceived by the public as constituting an appropriate use of public funds is a matter which the Assembly, as a whole, may wish to consider.”

The landlord company receiving the rental payments has been connected to Mr Paisley Jnr's father-in-law, who was its sole director for a period.

The Paisleys’ Ballymena office has attracted particular attention due to its size and cost — the combined annual total of £57,200 is three times higher than the next highest MLA rental.

Some other MLAs last year confirmed that they had claimed rental expenses for premises owned by relatives, including Michael McGimpsey (UUP), Kieran McCarthy (Alliance) and Gregory Campbell (DUP). The UUP’s Billy Armstrong received payments up to the end of 2007 for a prefab office owned by his wife and located on the family farm.

Figures obtained by this newspaper last year showed that of 18 MLAs paying office rental expenses to their parties, 10 were from Sinn Fein.

Belfast Telegraph