Printing costs for Members of the Assembly

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FoI 37-19

20 December 2019

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I can confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission holds information relevant to your request of 2 December 2019.  In your request you asked for the following information:

The cost of the printing done by each MLA in Stormont buildings for the years 2017, 2018, 2019 broken down by each individual MLA.  What I mean by printing is the general use of paper and cartridges by each MLA in Stormont. 

Financial Support for Members claiming Constituency Office Expenditure is provided for under Part 2 of the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016.

Members’ Constituency Office Operating Expenses are published on the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission website. This includes the cost of ink cartridges / toner used by MLAs in their offices at Parliament Buildings and in their constituency offices.  The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission has published Members’ Constituency Office Expenditure, which a Member is entitled to recover under the Constituency Office Operating Expenses in accordance with the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016 (as amended).  This information is available up to 30 September 2019.

Details of Members’ Salaries and Expenses are published on a quarterly basis and a further update will be made in March 2020 for the period up until 31 December 2019.

Under the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016 (as amended), Members are able to recover up to £4900 for Constituency Office Operating Expenses.  Any costs over and above £4900 are the personal responsibility of the Member.  If a request for payment is received beyond £4900, it is returned to the Member unprocessed.  If stationery is requested from the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission Office Resources and the cost cannot be processed from Constituency Office Operating Expenses, the Member will have to pay the cost to the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission or return the goods.

While MLAs are charged for paper obtained through the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission Office Resources and delivered to their constituency offices, MLAs are not charged for the paper used in Parliament Buildings carrying out their Assembly duties. Printing paper is available for all building users in the communal print rooms within Parliament Buildings. The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission encourages all building users to minimise the printing of documents.

If you feel that the information we have provided does not meet your request fully, please contact this office as soon as possible.  You have the right to request a formal review by the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission and if you wish to do so, please write to me at the above address.

If after such an internal review you are still unhappy with the response, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,  Cheshire SK9 5AF who will undertake an independent review.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me.  Please remember to quote the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Data Protection and Information Standards Officer