FOI 68-26: A request for information in relation to MLAs and Assembly staff who attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in South Africa

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I am writing to confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) has processed your request dated 15 September 2026 in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In your request, you asked:

“Under FOI, can the Assembly provide details of which MLAs and Assembly staff attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in South Africa which took place between September 13 and September 19 2026. Can the request also include the total cost of the trip broken down by flights, accommodation and any additional expenses for both MLAs and Assembly staff.”

Our response

The Assembly Commission holds information in relation to your request.

The 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference is being held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 13 to 19 September 2026. As the visit has not yet concluded, the Assembly Commission does not hold final total costs for the Northern Ireland Assembly’s representation at this event.

The attendees representing the Northern Ireland Assembly at this event are Edwin Poots MLA, Speaker, Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, Deputy Speaker and Lesley Hogg, Clerk/ Chief Executive.

Appendix A itemises the costs to the Assembly Commission which have been incurred and recorded by the Finance Office to date in relation to attendance at the conference. These figures are limited to the costs currently available and should not be read as the final or total cost of the visit.

As the official delegate of the Northern Ireland Assembly Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the cost of the Speaker’s flights is expected to be reimbursed by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and will not represent a final cost to the Assembly Commission once that reimbursement has been received.

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

  

Appendix A