Work together or lose €14,500!

Northern politicians warned their salaries will be cut if they can’t revive Stormont Assembly

‘Staff should not suffer’ Reduction will be in two stages

THE British government is to cut the pay of Stormont MLAs by more than £13,000 (€14,472) as they are not performing all their functions, Northern Ireland secretary of state, Karen Bradley, has said.

The Assembly has not sat since January 2017 – making it the longest peacetime parliament in history not to sit. Members have been paid their full salary, despite the political impasse between coalition partners, the DUP and Sinn Féin.

Repeated negotiations convened by the British and Irish governments have failed to persuade them to reconcile their differences.

Yesterday, both parties blamed each other for the impasse and Sinn Féin welcomed the pay cut. Ms Bradley will bring forward legislation to allow civil servants to make decisions in the absence of Northern ministers.

She told the London parliament: ‘While Assembly members continue to perform valuable constituency functions, it is clear that during any such interim period they will not be performing the full range of their legislative functions.

‘So, in parallel, I will take the steps necessary to reduce Assembly members’ salaries in line with recommendations made by (former clerk of the Stormont Assembly) Trevor Reaney.

‘The reduction will take effect in two stages – it would not reduce the allowance for staff as I do not think that MLAs’ staff should suffer because of the politicians’ failure to form an Executive.’

Ms Bradley’s predecessor as Northern Ireland secretary, James Brokenshire, commissioned Mr Reaney to examine the controversial issue of paying Assembly members.

He recommended the 27.5% cut, a move that would take the standard salary of £49,500 (€55,067) down to £35,888 (€39,924) in two stages, starting in November, with a further cut three months later.

Public services have suffered because no ministers are in place to make major decisions – at a time when Brexit and the border are forefront in EU-UK negotiations.

Controversial issues such as provision of abortion or samesex marriage have not been addressed in the absence of an Assembly.

Democratic Unionist leader and former Stormont first minister Arlene Foster said: ‘It is deeply frustrating and utterly careless that Sinn Féin has decided to block government for almost 600 days.’

She added: ‘Northern Ireland needs a ministerial decisionmaking mechanism which respects democracy.’

She and her Ulster Unionist counterpart, Robin Swann, welcomed the pay cut for Assembly members, a demand which gained widespread public support.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill said: ‘The reduction in MLA pay should have been introduced months ago. Sinn Féin told Karen Bradley that on several occasions but it is clear she was reluctant to move because of resistance from the DUP.

‘That position has now become untenable and it is right that wages are finally being reduced.’

Explaining the need for a ‘stepped approach’ staggering the pay reductions, Mr Reaney said the impact of any salary reduction on MLAs’ personal circumstances has been acknowledged.

He said research showed Assembly members spent 50% to 60% of their time on constituency work and the average working week could extend to up to 80 hours.