Stormont gravy train : “Amazing” increases in MLA staff & office costs

[Kidder81]

Voted for by MLAs, all the family members, friends and party activists they employ set for a massive pay rise

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53938821

axpayers may face an annual bill of £4.2m every year to cover the increased staff and office costs of MLAs.

It comes after MLAs gave themselves the power to increase their expenses.

The plan, drawn up by the Assembly Commission which runs Stormont, is said to bring the wages of people who work for MLAs into line with other civil service workers.

MLA allowances for running constituency offices will also increase from £4,900 to £7,000 per annum.

Move supported

The Assembly Commission is made up of all the main parties.

The changes were supported by DUP, Sinn Féin and the SDLP.

Those at the top end, Grade Three, can now be paid up to £36,100, up from a limit of £22,750. For a Grade One staff member the top salary is now £23,490 up from £18,000. For a Grade Two staff member, the top salary will be £29,400, up from £19,750.

The payments will be backdated to 1 April.

The allowances of MLAs to run their constituency offices will also increase from £4,900 to £7,000 per year.

'Amazing'

After examining the figures, Alan McQuillan, who is a member of the Independent Financial Renew Panel, said he was "astonished" by some of the increases.

"A 46% rise, 37% of that in cash, 5% extra paid into their pensions, and on top of that, they gave them an extra eight days a year leave, which is worth another 4% in pay.

"And they're giving them a new sick pay scheme, whereby if a member is off sick, they'll get six months full pay and six months half pay.

"It's a most amazing package. I don't think there's ever been a package of this size in the Northern Ireland public sector, and it's being delivered in the teeth of all the economic problems we face today.
Mr McQuillan said that when the Independent Financial Renew Panel set the pay originally, the salaries were benchmarked against "a basket of salaries drawn from the major sectors - health, teaching, the public sector and private sector".

MLAs vote for assembly commission to set expenses
Will the fox get the run of the chicken coop?
He added: "To give you an example, under this new system, the top senior staff in an MLA's office, taking calls from the public, writing letters for the MLA and jobs like that, are now going to be earning more than a mid-scale registrar in a hospital.

"That's a fairly senior doctor dealing with critically-ill patients and a degree that took five or six years. That doctor is now going to be earning the same salary as a person sitting in an MLA's office who doesn't have to have any qualifications at all."

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Analysis: BBC News NI Political Correspondent Gareth Gordon

There have been well-documented abuses by some - by no means all - MLAs in the past in terms of expenses.

The fact that the Assembly was down for almost three years didn't help the public mood.

Neither did the fact that they were only back a matter of days when they were awarded a 1% pay increase by an independent body in January.

Everyone, across the board, handed it back as they knew it was not the right time.

Effectively, the Assembly Commission's decision to take it upon themselves to award a new allowance and expenses regime means that staff employed by MLAs are now set for a big pay increase.

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A controversial decision not to allow MLAs to put contact details on signage outside their offices has also been reversed.

They can now also run satellite surgeries away from their constituency offices.

[Rossfan]

Ye Northern folk have to pay for ye're democracy .
Cheaper than the cost of a war all the same.

[TabClear]

I expect nothing more from that shower of useless fcukwits. They are f**king disgrace

[Angelo]

It's disgraceful in the middle of a pandemic. Cronyism at its worst.

[haranguerer]

Usual outrage - its been brought into line with civil service looks like which I'm sure there is an argument for. Unless the civil service terms are too generous which I'd agree with, certainly when it comes to sick leave which is abused high and wide.

I will say though that I'd never put weight in anything that Alan McQuillan says. He is an absolute fuckwit - a horrible person. Its also rich him talking about the public purse when he has businesses which absolutely screw it.

[Tony Baloney]

Usual outrage - its been brought into line with civil service looks like which I'm sure there is an argument for. Unless the civil service terms are too generous which I'd agree with, certainly when it comes to sick leave which is abused high and wide.

I will say though that I'd never put weight in anything that Alan McQuillan says. He is an absolute fuckwit - a horrible person. Its also rich him talking about the public purse when he has businesses which absolutely screw it.

To join the silly service I'm sure you need to do an interview and have some level of educational attainment depending on the entry level. My reading of this is you can employ anyone you fancy to stuff letters in envelopes, for the guts of 40 grand a year!

[johnnycool]

Usual outrage - its been brought into line with civil service looks like which I'm sure there is an argument for. Unless the civil service terms are too generous which I'd agree with, certainly when it comes to sick leave which is abused high and wide.

I will say though that I'd never put weight in anything that Alan McQuillan says. He is an absolute fuckwit - a horrible person. Its also rich him talking about the public purse when he has businesses which absolutely screw it.

To join the silly service I'm sure you need to do an interview and have some level of educational attainment depending on the entry level. My reading of this is you can employ anyone you fancy to stuff letters in envelopes, for the guts of 40 grand a year!

No Fair employment requirements, family members it would seem so they should be remunerated on their job description and qualifications.

Lining of the pockets to continue unabated.

[Sportacus]

It's part of a bigger picture.  NICS is too big, too many handy numbers, too many buck passers, all at the taxpayers expense.  Ask a school principal or doctor how frustrated are they by Department officials passing the buck rather than giving them an answer or help and you'll see the reality.  Ironically it will soften the Covid blow overall as so many people are featherbedded in the civil service.  Stormont is just the tip of the iceberg.

[sid waddell]

What would people here suggest is a fair salary for a politician?

Actual figures, like

You can set out figures for each of the following: TDs, ministers, Taoiseach, MLAs and ministers in the north

Just wondering because it seems to me a lot of people moan about what politicians are paid, yet they never suggest a figure for what they should be paid

[johnnycool]

What would people here suggest is a fair salary for a politician?

Actual figures, like

You can set out figures for each of the following: TDs, ministers, Taoiseach, MLAs and ministers in the north

Just wondering because it seems to me a lot of people moan about what politicians are paid, yet they never suggest a figure for what they should be paid

I'd suggest the average industrial wage 

(barring book deals and the likes)

[Orior]

The occupied six counties is not sustainable is any shape or form. We can simply solve the expenses issue by running new all-Ireland elections for the government in Dublin.

[sid waddell]

What would people here suggest is a fair salary for a politician?

Actual figures, like

You can set out figures for each of the following: TDs, ministers, Taoiseach, MLAs and ministers in the north

Just wondering because it seems to me a lot of people moan about what politicians are paid, yet they never suggest a figure for what they should be paid

I'd suggest the average industrial wage 

(barring book deals and the likes)

That doesn't seem very sensible to me

[Angelo]

Usual outrage - its been brought into line with civil service looks like which I'm sure there is an argument for. Unless the civil service terms are too generous which I'd agree with, certainly when it comes to sick leave which is abused high and wide.

I will say though that I'd never put weight in anything that Alan McQuillan says. He is an absolute fuckwit - a horrible person. Its also rich him talking about the public purse when he has businesses which absolutely screw it.

Is it not just picking your friends/family/relative into a job they may not be in anyway qualified for or be in a function to carry out and get paid a handsome (more handsome) salary to do so?

That is wrong.

[Angelo]

What would people here suggest is a fair salary for a politician?

Actual figures, like

You can set out figures for each of the following: TDs, ministers, Taoiseach, MLAs and ministers in the north

Just wondering because it seems to me a lot of people moan about what politicians are paid, yet they never suggest a figure for what they should be paid

I'd suggest the average industrial wage 

(barring book deals and the likes)

That doesn't seem very sensible to me

Why?

Politicians should be in their role as community activists, not as people on a career gravy train.

If you look down south, where the salaries are much higher, the narrative that you need a good salary to attract the best candidates doesn't seem to stack up when you have a load of yokels romping home as poll toppers.

Career politics and the gravy train element needs to be eradicated but would a turkey vote for Christmas?

[Franko]

What would people here suggest is a fair salary for a politician?

Actual figures, like

You can set out figures for each of the following: TDs, ministers, Taoiseach, MLAs and ministers in the north

Just wondering because it seems to me a lot of people moan about what politicians are paid, yet they never suggest a figure for what they should be paid

I'd suggest the average industrial wage 

(barring book deals and the likes)

I probably wouldn't have any major qualms with the salaries of the actual politicians.  They take a lot of shit for their money and have to watch every step, both in their professional and personal lives.

It's the SPAD's and the glorified stamp lickers in the constituency offices, who are accountable to nobody other than their mate (the politician) who employed them that would be more of an issue IMO.  That said, their isn't much job security in it, so that probably needs factored in also.

And this is not in any way an orange v green thing - it's across the board.