Clerk / Chief Executive and Senior Management Team Register of Interests

The Northern Ireland Assembly (the Assembly) requires the Clerk / Chief Executive (Clerk / CEx) and Directors (AG1 and AG2 staff) to register their interests on the Assembly website.

The aim is to identify those activities and interests which the Clerk / CEx and Directors consider they should volunteer into the public domain because those interests might be interpreted as carrying a risk of bias in the conduct of the person's Assembly duties. The Register therefore allows the Clerk / CEx and Directors to volunteer interests they believe may create a risk of bias in the undertaking of their roles with the Assembly. In addition, all Members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) are required to declare any interests at each meeting. Interests are noted in minutes which are also published on the Assembly website.

Staff are expected to ensure their interests are current. However, the Register will be formally reviewed once a year.

The Register only lists interests staff consider to be relevant and protects their legitimate personal privacy.

What is a relevant interest?

The key test is whether ‘an external observer, knowing the facts of the situation, would reasonably think the member of staff in question might be influenced by the interest’.
The presumption is in favour of declaration. If the staff member is in doubt, she or he should register it.
Examples of a relevant interest would include: interests in organisations with which the Assembly might do business; positions with charities and membership of professional organisations; public appointments and close family ties to people with such interests.