FOI 25-26: A request for information on MLA travel expenses from January 2022 to present
Information Standards Freedom of Information Response
Our ref: 25-26
22 May 2026
Freedom of Information Act 2000
I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 5 May 2026 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your request (which I have numbered for ease of reference) was as follows:
‘Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2022 to present:
1. The total amount claimed in travel expenses by each MLA.
2. A breakdown of these expenses by MLA and by year.
3. The political party affiliation of each MLA listed.
4. Where available, a breakdown of the types of travel claimed (for example mileage, public transport, flights and taxis).
5. The highest individual travel expense claim made by an MLA, including the date and amount.
6. Any internal guidance, policies or audit documents relating to MLA travel expense claims.
Our response
The Assembly Commission holds information relevant to your request.
Appendix A (see below) summarises the amounts reimbursed to MLAs for travel expenses claimed from 1 January 2022 to date.
The costs set out in Appendix A are those incidental travel costs incurred by MLAs because of their wider role within the Assembly, and are referred to as ‘Parliamentary Travel’ costs.
A copy of the Incidental Costs of Parliamentary Travel framework (Appendix B, see below), which sets out the circumstances and recoverable amounts where a Member may claim travel expenses, is also attached.
Members may also recover Assembly Travel Allowance, which is paid under the Assembly Members (Office and Staffing Costs and Allowances) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2025. Details of these payment are published quarterly on the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission website.
Appendix A: Travel expenses claims (PDF, 1 page, 98.4kb)
Appendix B: Parliamentary Travel Scheme (PDF, 10 pages, 362kb)
Further Information
You may 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
