Interns/Volunteers Employed

FoI 71-14
19 November 2104

Question

“Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request details of interns and work experience volunteers being employed by the NI Assembly. Interns and work experience volunteers are usually unpaid, although some receive expenses. It appears that the current expenses register only lumps these costs together with permanent staff as 'support staff costs'. (In the UK parliament, MP interns are registered with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, but I can't see an equivalent for the NI Assembly).

For each year from 2011/12 to 2014/15 so far (or for fewer years if necessary to bring this request within the time constraints of the FOI Act), please disclose the following:

• The number of interns/volunteers employed;
• For each intern/volunteer, the total hours worked and duration they worked for the NI Assembly; any available details of the type of work they did; and
• If applicable, the salary they received or the amount they received in expenses.

A copy of any available register of interns and volunteers for the NI Assembly.”

Response

RaISe (Reseach and Information Service) Students on Placement

RaISe had two student placements for 6 weeks each, (Aug-Sept 2014) from the Queens University Belfast, Q-Step undergraduate programme.

RaISe also accepted one student for 6 weeks, (late May – Early July) in 2013 and 2014 from the University of Ulster Social Policy degree course.

In both cases the students are unpaid and placements are a compulsory part of their degree programme.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) Placement Students

The Department of Finance and Personnel run a Student Placement programme every year for the Northern Ireland Civil Service. The Northern Ireland Assembly has seconded students through this programme (details below).

Students are seconded for 51 weeks starting from the summer each year – figures show the number of students within each of these ‘years’.

NI Assembly Bursary program

Please see details of the number of interns/volunteers employed as part of the NI Assembly Bursary program as follows:
11/12 - 6 students
12/13 - 7 Students
13/14 - 7 students
14/15 - 7 students

The NI Assembly Bursary students worked office hours from Monday to Thursday inclusive, from September to May each year.

These students work at the Assistant Assembly Clerk grade within a Committee, Research Office or in the Bill Office. The Northern Ireland Assembly provides a bursary of £12,000 and Queens University Belfast cover the students’ academic fees.

Legal Services

During the summer of 2013 and 2014 a student from Harvard Law School, Boston, USA, was placed within the Assembly’s Legal Services Department. This placement ran for 6 weeks and was unpaid.

Please note, the NI Assembly does not hold a register of interns and volunteers.