Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MLAS face 13% pay slash
Ex-assembly chief proposes £13k decrease Brokenshire to ‘carefully’ study advice
NORTHERN Ireland’s MLAS are facing a £13,000 salary cut if James Brokenshire adopts the recommendations of a former Assembly chief.
The Secretary of State asked Trevor Reaney for his advice on members’ salaries and allowances while Stormont remains dormant.
And the former clerk and Chief Executive of the Assembly has come back with a range of suggestions which include docking their wages over two stages.
This means the 90 MLAS could see their £49,500 pay cut to £42,075 initially and then £35,888 three months later unless they do a deal to restore the Executive. The Speaker could see his pay reduced from £87,500 to £55,848 over the same period, while the Deputy Speaker could lose out on almost £20,000.
But members of an Assembly Commission who were not elected could be the biggest losers, seeing a drop in pay from £55,500 to just £4,800.
Their elected counterparts could be hit with a decrease of £15,000.
Mr Reaney has also put forward a reduction in costs for staff and office establishment and upping the number of attendance days needed for a full travel allowance. Mr Brokenshire said he will study the report in detail before making a final decision. He added: “I would like to thank Trevor Reaney for his thoughtful advice on the approach to the salaries and allowances of MLAS in the continued absence of an Executive or sitting Assembly.
“This is a matter of significant public concern and it is right to take a considered approach.
“This is why I asked Mr Reaney to provide me with this advice, which I will consider carefully before responding.”