FOI 51-25: Information in regards to MLA's Assembly pension scheme
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
16 September 2025
Our ref: FoI 51-25
Freedom of Information Act 2000
I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 27 August 2025 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked for:
“Under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide me with the following information for the period since devolution began after the Belfast Agreement:
- How much each MLA has contributed to their Assembly pension.
- How much the Assembly has contributed to each MLA’s Assembly pension.
- The CETV of each MLA’s pension for those who have not yet drawn their pension.
- The annual pension amount being paid to former MLAs who are drawing their pension.”
Our response
Question 1
The Trustees of the Assembly Members Pension Scheme (AMPS) publish Annual Reports and Accounts which can be found on the Assembly Commission website. The Trustees disclose in their Annual Report and Accounts the employee contribution rate and total amount of employee contributions collected over the year. The Trustees do not release details about individual contributions. This information is exempt from disclosure under section 40 of the FOIA.
Section 40(2) of the FOIA provides that information is exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject and satisfies one of three conditions. The Assembly Commission is satisfied that one such condition is satisfied. It is not therefore necessary to consider the other potentially applicable conditions. The relevant condition is set out at section 40(3A) (a) of the FOIA, and is that "disclosure of the information to a member of the public otherwise than under this Act…would contravene any of the data protection principles…”
The data protection principles are set out at Article 5 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The first principle is that processing of personal data must be fair, lawful and transparent. Processing is ‘lawful’ under the first principle if it satisfies one or more of the conditions at Article 6 of the UK GDPR.
The Assembly Commission does not consider that any condition at Article 6 would allow the lawful disclosure of individual contributions to the AMPS.
Question 2
The Consolidated Fund contribution is collected by the Assembly Commission and calculated using the percentage recommended by the Government Actuary Department report, as provided for under the Assembly Members Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2016, Article Q2(3b). The percentage is applied to a Member’s monthly salary, including any Office Holder’s salary. The specific amount contributed for each Member depends on individual salary levels and periods of service. The total annual amount of Assembly Commission contributions and the contribution rate applicable at the time is disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts found on the Assembly Commission website using the link in the response to question 1 above.
Question 3
Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETVs) for Ministers are published annually in departmental accounts as part of the standard disclosure requirements under HM Treasury’s Financial Reporting Manual (FReM). CETV figures for Members are not routinely calculated unless requested by the individual for transfer or benefit quotation purposes under the Scheme rules. CETV values for Members who have not drawn their pension are not published. The publication of CETV values for individual members (if held) are exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the FOIA. These constitute the personal data of individual members of the AMPS and are exempt for the reason given at question 1 as regards individual contributions.
Question 4
Information on individual retirements is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the FOIA. This constitutes the personal data of individual members of the AMPS and is exempt for the reason given at question 1 as regards individual contributions. However, the Trustees disclose in their Annual Report and Accounts: (i) the total number of retirements (ii) the total lump sums paid in respect of these retirements, and (iii) the total amount paid in pensions over the year. The Trustees’ Annual Reports and Accounts can be found on the Assembly’s website using the link in the response to question 1 above.
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 sincerely
INFORMATION STANDARDS
