Ad Hoc Committee on the Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill
Minutes of proceedings 25 March 2025
Ad Hoc Committee on the Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill minutes of proceedings 25 March 2025.pdf (158.07 kb)
Meeting Location: Room 29, Parliament Buildings
Present:
Cathy Mason MLA, Deputy Chairperson
Paula Bradshaw MLA
Pádraig Delargy MLA
Gary Middleton MLA
John Stewart MLA
Apologies:
Phillip Brett MLA, Chairperson
Daniel McCrossan MLA
In Attendance:
Jim McManus, Committee Clerk
Roisin Donnelly, Assistant Assembly Clerk
Carla Campbell, Clerical Supervisor
The meeting commenced at 1:03 pm in public session with the Deputy Chairperson in the chair.
1. Apologies
Apologies are noted above.
2. Declaration of Interests
The Chairperson advised members of their requirement to register their interests under Standing Order 69(5).
Agreed: The Committee agreed that as the Ad Hoc Committee has been established to scrutinise a Bill that relates to MLA salaries, allowances and pensions, the minutes should reflect that all members of the Committee have a financial interest in the work of the Committee.
3. Chairperson’s Business
There was no Chairperson’s business.
4. Draft Minutes
Agreed: The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2025.
5. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
The Committee agreed to move to agenda item 7.
6. Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill – consideration of written evidence
i. The Committee considered written evidence from the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to publish the written evidence on the Committee page of the Assembly website.
ii. The Committee considered written evidence from the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to publish the written evidence on the Committee page of the Assembly website.
iii. The Committee considered 11 responses that had been received to the Call for Evidence on the Bill.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to publish the 11 responses to the call for evidence on the Committee page of the Assembly website.
The Committee noted that the call for evidence ended on 19 March.
The meeting was suspended at 1.06 pm.
The meeting resumed at 1.13 pm.
The Committee agreed to return to agenda item 6.
7. Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill – oral evidence from Assembly Commission
The following members of the Assembly Commission and Assembly officials joined the meeting at 1.13 pm:
Trevor Clarke MLA;
Sinéad Ennis MLA;
Nuala McAllister MLA;
Colin McGrath MLA;
Lesley Hogg, Clerk and Chief Executive of the NI Assembly; and
Tara Caul, Director of Legal, Governance and Research Services, NI Assembly.
Nuala McAllister MLA outlined the Assembly Commission’s response to the issues raised in the oral and written evidence considered by the Committee and the Commission’s proposed amendments to the Bill.
This was followed by a question and answer session.
The Chairperson thanked the Assembly Commission Members and Assembly officials for their attendance.
The evidence session was reported by Hansard.
The Committee agreed to move to closed session at 1.31 pm.
8. Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill – Committee Deliberations
The following Assembly Bill Office officials joined the meeting at 1.31 pm:
Aoibheann Baker, Senior Assistant Bill Clerk; and
Liz Marsh, Bill Clerk.
The Committee considered a proposed Committee amendment to Clause 1 of the Bill.
Agreed: The Committee agreed it was content with the proposed Committee amendment.
The Chairperson thanked the Bill Clerks for their attendance.
The Committee agreed to move to public session at 1.39 pm.
9. Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill – Preliminary View
Members provided their views on the clauses, proposed Commission amendments and proposed Committee amendment of the Bill.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to move to clause by clause consideration of the Bill at the next meeting.
10. Correspondence
There was no correspondence.
11. Forward Work Programme
The Committee considered a draft Forward Work Programme.
Agreed: The Committee agreed to hold formal clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill at the meeting on 1 April and to consider the Committee’s report on its consideration of the Bill at the meeting on 8 April.
12. Any Other Business
There was no other business.
13. Date, Time and Place of the next meeting
The next meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee was scheduled to take place at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, 1 April 2025 in Room 30.
The meeting was adjourned at 1.41 pm.
Cathy Mason MLA
Deputy Chairperson, Ad Hoc Committee on the Assembly Members (Remuneration Board) Bill
1 April 2025
