FoI 17-25: Information in regards to the number of training and development sessions or workshops delivered for MLAs

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

12 March 2025

Our Ref: FoI

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 6 February 2025 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked that the Assembly Commission provide-

'For each year from 2022 to present,

1. The number of training and development sessions or workshops delivered for MLAs, and the amount spent on them.
2. A breakdown of these training and development sessions or workshops by type, including (but not limited to)
   • the number of, and spend on, training and development sessions or workshops related to 'effective questioning' for committee members.
   • the number of, and spend on, sessions or workshops related to dealing with the media.'

Our response

The Assembly Commission holds some information relevant to your request.

Question 1

Since 2022, 57 information, learning and support sessions have been delivered to 556 people including MLAs, party support staff and MLAs' employees, at a total cost of £25,745.18. Some sessions were delivered in person and some were online only.

These sessions are predominantly delivered by Assembly Commission employees with training and experience in the relevant fields, with a more limited number of sessions being provided by external contractors. After each session, training materials are made available to all MLAs online. The Assembly Commission does not record attendance at in-person sessions, or the number of times online resources are accessed.

Question 2

A breakdown of the learning and support sessions is set out at Appendix 1.

Information on the specific cost of sessions on effective questioning and dealing with the media is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the FOIA (commercial interest). This is because the request concerns the purchase of services from third -party providers and would prejudice the commercial position of the Assembly Commission in the future procurement of such services.

Section 43 (2) is a qualified exemption, and the Assembly Commission has assessed whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

The following factors are relevant to maintaining the exemption-

• The disclosure of this information could undermine the Assembly Commission's ability to successfully obtain training and development services at a cost-effective rate. Training and development providers may be discouraged from tendering to provide services to the Assembly Commission, or be incentivised to increase their bids, if the information identified is released. This will have an adverse effect on the public purse.
• There is a public interest in ensuring that companies and sole traders can compete on a level playing field for contracts, and disclosure of commercially sensitive information about public sector contracts would compromise their ability to do so.
• The global sum spent on training is set out in the response to question 1, and the public interest in the expenditure of public monies is adequately satisfied by that disclosure.

The following factors are relevant to disclosure -

• There is a public interest in full disclosure of the way in which the Assembly Commission spends public money.

The Assembly Commission has determined that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

Further Information

You have the right to request an internal review of this decision by the Assembly Commission. If you wish to request such a review, please write to me at the above address. If, after that review, you are dissatisfied with the way in which the Assembly Commission has handled your request for information, you may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Your request for information and our response may be published in the disclosure log maintained by the Assembly Commission under a publication scheme agreed with the ICO. The request and our response will be anonymised.

Yours faithfully

Data Protection and Governance Officer

Information Standards

Appendix 1: Breakdown of Training and Development Sessions.