FOI 69-25: Information in regards to the details of expenses claimed by the Speakers of the NI Assembly

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

16 December 2025

Our Ref: FOI 69-25

Freedom of Information Act 2000

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

““Under the Freedom of Information Act, I wish to request details of expenses claimed by Speakers of the NI Assembly.

To be clear, this request relates to expenses claimed in the role of speaker/deputy speaker - and so are separate from those claimed as an MLA (such as constituency office expenses).

For each Speaker of the Assembly and each year since 2020, please disclose the following:

1. The overall amount of expenses they claimed; and an itemised breakdown of this spending (such as food and drink, clothing, transport, etc).

2. If available, a copy of the receipts for the above.

3. Please provide the above information (1&2) but instead for each deputy speaker.”

Our response

The Assembly Commission holds information in relation to your request.

Since 2020, two expenses claims were submitted. Both expenses claims were in relation to Deputy Speaker Dr Steve Aiken’s attendance at Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man in July 2024 to represent the Assembly on behalf of the Speaker.

Copies of the mileage claim and receipts for meals are attached at Appendix A (Separate).

A number of redactions have been made to this information. The home postcode of the Deputy Speaker has been redacted and his signature has also been redacted.    

This information has been removed pursuant to section 40 of the FOIA, which provides that information is exempt from disclosure if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject and satisfies one of the three conditions.  In this case, the relevant condition is section 40(3A) of the FOIA: ‘… disclosure of the information to a member of the public 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. The first principle requires that personal data be processed ‘lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals.  Article 6(1) sets out six conditions for lawful processing, at least one of which must be satisfied.  The Assembly Commission considers that the public task condition at Article 6(1)(e) is engaged, and notes the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 which supplement this condition. 

The Assembly Commission does not consider that the processing of the Deputy Speakers home postcode or his individual signature is necessary to discharge its obligations under the FOIA.

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