FOI 43-26: A request for information relating to the use of electric vehicle charging by MLA and political party

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our ref: FOI 43-26
20 July 2026

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”)

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 26 June 2026 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). In your request, you asked:

‘Please can I request the following information please.

The names of the MLAs and their political party that used the free EV charging car park at parliament buildings from November 2025 to the most recent date for which you have data.

The number of times each MLA used this charging facility during this time period.

Can you also confirm if the price to be charged for the EV charging car park moving forward will be at least the same as the price charged for the other charging site on the Stormont estate or will it remained subsidised.’

Our response

1. ‘The names of the MLAs and their political party that used the free EV charging car park at parliament buildings from November 2025 to the most recent date for which you have data.’

The Assembly Commission holds information relevant to your request for the period 25 November 2025 to 5 June 2026. The Assembly Commission's records show that the following MLAs requested booking slots for the EV charging points located behind Parliament Buildings during this period.

2. ‘The number of times each MLA used this charging facility during this time period.’

The number of bookings recorded for each MLA in respect of the EV charging facility behind Parliament Buildings during this period is set out in the table below. Records of whether a booking was fulfilled were not maintained consistently; while in some instances it was recorded that a charging card was collected, this was not done in all cases, and the Assembly Commission does not hold information on whether chargers were operational, utilised or the duration of any use.

3. ‘Can you also confirm if the price to be charged for the EV charging car park moving forward will be at least the same as the price charged for the other charging site on the Stormont Estate or will it remained subsidised.’

The EV charging facility behind Parliament Buildings will not be subsidised. At present, the charging arrangements for this facility have not been finalised and, therefore, the price to be charged has not yet been determined.

It is the Assembly Commission's intention that the EV charging points in the Lower East Car Park will operate under the same charging structure as the other EV charging facilities behind Parliament Buildings. However, the final charging arrangements are still under development and have not yet been confirmed.

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