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Northern Ireland

Do we need as many MLAs?

Oct 28th, 2011
by Rosie Greer.
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In an article earlier this year, Lee Canning wrote how in Strabane there were only 1664 electors per councillor. It appears that it’s not just in councils in Northern Ireland where there are a small number of voters per elected representative. The Northern Ireland Assembly is exactly the same.

Let me start by giving you some facts and figures about the other devolved nations – Scotland and Wales.

There are 3,985,161 people eligible to vote for MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. With a total of 129 members, this works out at an average of 30,893 voters per member. In Wales, the electorate for AMs in the Welsh Assembly is 2,302,300. With a total of 60 members, this works out at an average of 38,372 voters per member.

In Northern Ireland, there are 1,223,139 on the electoral register, and with 108 MLAs, this works out at an average of 11,325 voters per member.

Although they are paid less than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts (£43,101, as opposed to £57,521 and £53,852 respectively) you do have to ask the question why Northern Ireland needs so many MLAs. Their constituencies are small, so they won’t deal with as much casework as MSPs and AMs. There doesn’t appear to be a record of attendance available, so we don’t even know the amount of work they do for their salaries. So would it be beneficial to cut the numbers?

I ask this question not just as a cost saving measure, which it undoubtedly is, but because anyone who has served on large committees knows that the more people trying to speak, the harder it is to do business. During the EU Referendum debate in the House of Commons on Monday, there were many MPs who did not get a chance to air their views. This was despite MPs being restricted to speeches of 5 minutes – which went down to 4 minutes – during the course of the debate.

If you halved the number of MLAs, they would still have fewer constituents than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts. As the number of MPs will be reduced to 600 after the next general election, it is also time to think about reducing the number of MLAs?

Do we need as many MLAs?

Oct 28th, 2011
by Rosie Greer.
Comments are off for this post

In an article earlier this year, Lee Canning wrote how in Strabane there were only 1664 electors per councillor. It appears that it’s not just in councils in Northern Ireland where there are a small number of voters per elected representative. The Northern Ireland Assembly is exactly the same.

Let me start by giving you some facts and figures about the other devolved nations – Scotland and Wales.

There are 3,985,161 people eligible to vote for MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. With a total of 129 members, this works out at an average of 30,893 voters per member. In Wales, the electorate for AMs in the Welsh Assembly is 2,302,300. With a total of 60 members, this works out at an average of 38,372 voters per member.

In Northern Ireland, there are 1,223,139 on the electoral register, and with 108 MLAs, this works out at an average of 11,325 voters per member.

Although they are paid less than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts (£43,101, as opposed to £57,521 and £53,852 respectively) you do have to ask the question why Northern Ireland needs so many MLAs. Their constituencies are small, so they won’t deal with as much casework as MSPs and AMs. There doesn’t appear to be a record of attendance available, so we don’t even know the amount of work they do for their salaries. So would it be beneficial to cut the numbers?

I ask this question not just as a cost saving measure, which it undoubtedly is, but because anyone who has served on large committees knows that the more people trying to speak, the harder it is to do business. During the EU Referendum debate in the House of Commons on Monday, there were many MPs who did not get a chance to air their views. This was despite MPs being restricted to speeches of 5 minutes – which went down to 4 minutes – during the course of the debate.

If you halved the number of MLAs, they would still have fewer constituents than their Scottish and Welsh counterparts. As the number of MPs will be reduced to 600 after the next general election, it is also time to think about reducing the number of MLAs?

Accountable Servants

Mar 15th, 2011
by Lee Canning.
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There are many instances of essential travel taken by public servants throughout the UK every day and it has been common practice for these staff to claim back work-associated expenses. But expenses – as seen with the MPs’ expenses scandal – can prove at times to be ridiculous. Here are two particularly shameless examples and an outright abuse of the public purse within the devolved nations.

As reported in the Mail Online, a civil servant, Anthony Snow, who earned £107,000 a year, travelled in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes limousine paid for by taxpayers. The trip that cost taxpayers £464 allowed Mr Snow – who was in a position to sign off his own expenses - the opportunity to travel to a conference entitled ‘More For Less – Meeting The Challenges Of A Changed Environment’. The irony being that the conference was intended to teach those attending how to save public money.

However this is nothing in comparison to what has been reported in the Belfast Telegraph. Sir Hugh Orde, the former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), received business class flights for his family for nearly six years. Sir Hugh was paid more than £180,000 a year and received various perks, including paid for accommodation, and spent almost £30,000 of taxpayers’ money on flights between Belfast, Dublin and London. This was initially put into place so to encourage his adjustment to the role in Northern Ireland but due to an administrative error continued far beyond the agreed twelve month period.

Mr Snow is an individual who has had a number of questions raised about his intentions, including the pension package that was agreed upon the same week he qualified for early retirement and his move to the ‘Financial Reporting Council’ in 2009. Mr Orde is currently the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

These are just two examples of those in receipt of extravagant salaries exploiting the system and leaving taxpayers out of pocket. There are examples of this throughout the town halls and other public institutions nationwide. These two public servants should apologize to taxpayers, and repay money back from extravagant expenses’ claims. Others guilty of similar exploits should be held accountable for their misdemeanors.

Northern Ireland’s politicians are living it up at our expense

Feb 9th, 2011
by Lee Canning.
Comments are off for this post

Members of Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly (MLAs) have been travelling throughout the world at the taxpayer’s expense. Some MLAs have taken a number of trips, including a visit to Washington DC from 15-18 March last year, which coincided with St. Patrick’s Day. It would be expected that on such a trip, meetings with those of influence would be organised at every attempt, however this is not true when considering Northern Ireland’s political elite.

After a Freedom of Information request (below), it was discovered that three MLAs,  William Hay, Danny Kennedy, and Naomi Long  (who is now an MP)  travelled to Washington DC at a cost of £10,739.45. They were accompanied by two staff members and travelled in the knowledge this was purely a social networking exercise. Their programme was packed full of social events, including breakfast with senators and they attended receptions held at both the Irish Embassy and the White House. During the trip not one formal meeting took place between politicians and their American counterparts.

All members of this delegation flew Business Class with Continental Airlines at a cost of £7,442.30. Hotels for two nights cost £2,671.15, and even items including loss on currency exchange and souvenirs were claimed for.

This trip was clearly a waste of our money, and cannot be justified. Taxpayers are fed up with politicians behaving in this manner, and at a time of spending restraint, these MLAs should hang their heads in shame.

FoI Response: Expenses

FoI Response: Agenda

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