Independent Remuneration Board

DRAFT Assembly Members (Salaries) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2027

Download this Determination as a PDF (184KB, 12 pages)

Explanatory Notes relating to the Assembly Members (Salaries) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2027

Contents

1. Exercise of functions.
2. Salary.
3. Additional salaries for office holders.
4. Salary increases for members.
5. Salary during the period following an election.
6. Salary when the offices of First and deputy First Ministers become vacant.
7. Imprisonment.
8. Double jobbing.
9. Pensions.
10. Recoupment of payments by the Commission.
11. Interpretation.
12. Revocation.
13. Citation and commencement.

Schedule 1.

First period after the initial period.

Second period after the initial period.

Third period after the initial period.

Schedule 2.

First period after the initial vacancy period.

Second period after the initial vacancy period.

Third period after the initial vacancy period.

Assembly Members (Salaries) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2027

In exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 2(1)(a) of the Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, the Independent Remuneration Board makes the following determination —

1.1. Section 2 of the 2011 Act confers on the Board the function of making determinations as to—

(a) the salaries payable to members under section 47 of the 1998 Act, and

(b) the pensions and gratuities payable under section 48 of the 1998 Act.

1.2. The Board is to exercise those functions with a view to achieving the following objectives—

(a) ensuring probity, accountability and value for money with respect to the expenditure of public funds, and

(b) securing for members a level of remuneration which fairly reflects the complexity and importance of their functions as members, and does not, on financial grounds, deter people with the necessary commitment and ability from seeking election to the Assembly.

1.3. In making this determination and in accordance with section 2(2A) of the 2011 Act the Board had regard to the salaries payable to members of—

(a) the House of Commons, 

(b) the Scottish Parliament, 

(c) Senedd Cymru (the Welsh Parliament), 

(d) Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives of Ireland), and

(e) Seanad Éireann (the Senate of Ireland).

2.1. The annual salary payable to a member shall be £69,216.

2.2. Members’ salaries shall be paid into an account in a financial institution (such as a bank or building society)—

(a) for which the member is the sole signatory, or

(b) for which the member and the member’s spouse, civil partner or cohabitant are sole signatories.

2.3. Where a person is a member for only part of a year, the salary shall be paid pro rata.

2.4. This paragraph is subject to paragraphs 4 – 8.

3.1. Office holders shall be paid the annual salaries set out in Table 1 in addition to their salary as a member set out in paragraph 2.1. 

3.2. Where a member holds an office in Table 1 for only part of a year, the additional salary payment shall be made pro rata.

3.3. Where a member holds more than one office in Table 1, the member shall only be paid the highest of the additional salary payments.

3.4. The provisions of paragraph 2.2 apply to additional salary payments as they apply to members’ salary payments.

3.5. The provisions of paragraph 4 (salary increases for members) do not apply to additional salary payments. 

3.6. This paragraph is subject to paragraphs 5 – 8.

4.1. If, on 1^st April each year, the condition in paragraph 4.2 is met, a percentage increase shall be applied to—

(a) the salary set out in paragraph 2.1,

(b) each salary set out in paragraph 5.3, and

(c) each salary set out in paragraph 6.3.

4.2. The condition is that the NISRA publication Employee earnings in Northern Ireland published in the previous year showed an increase in median weekly earnings, in nominal terms, of full-time employees in that year.

4.3. The percentage increase applied to these salaries shall be whichever is the lower of—

(a)  the percentage increase in median weekly earnings, in nominal terms, of full-time employees published by the NISRA, or

(b)  three per cent.

4.4. The salary following the percentage increase shall be rounded up to the nearest £10.

5.1. This paragraph applies when an Assembly is elected under section 31 or 32 of the 1998 Act.

5.2. This paragraph ceases to apply when all Ministerial Offices are filled in accordance with section 16A(3) of the 1998 Act.

5.3. The salary payable to a member shall be—

(a) £69,216 during the initial period,

(b) £62,294 in the six weeks after the initial period,

(c) £56,065 in the six weeks after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (b), and

(d) £50,459 after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (c).

5.4. The additional salaries payable to office holders during the initial period shall be those set out in Table 1.

5.5. Except as provided in paragraph 5.6, the additional salaries payable to office holders —

(a) in the six weeks after the initial period,

(b) in the six weeks after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (a), and

(c) after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (b) shall be those set out in Schedule 1.

5.6. Where immediately before the election the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister were vacant, the additional salaries payable to Northern Ireland Ministers shall, from the beginning of the initial period and while this paragraph 5 applies, be those set out in Table 1C of Schedule 1.

5.7. The ‘initial period’ is the period of six weeks beginning with the day on which the Assembly first meets following the poll in which that Assembly is elected.

6.1. This paragraph applies if at any time the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister become vacant otherwise than by virtue of section 16A(11A) of the 1998 Act.

6.2. This paragraph ceases to apply—

(a) when the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister are filled in accordance with section 16B(3) of the 1998 Act, or

(b) when an Assembly is elected under section 31 or 32 of the 1998 Act.

6.3. The salary payable to a member shall be—

(a) £69,216 during the initial vacancy period,

(b) £62,294 in the six weeks after the initial vacancy period,

(c) £56,065 in the six weeks after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (b), and

(d) £50,459 after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (c).

6.4. The additional salaries payable to office holders during the initial vacancy period shall be those set out in Table 1.

6.5. The additional salaries payable to office holders –

(a) in the six weeks after the initial vacancy period,

(b) in the six weeks after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (a), and

(c) after the period referred to in sub-paragraph (b) shall be those set out in Schedule 2.

6.6. The ‘initial vacancy period’ is the period of six weeks beginning with the day on which the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister become vacant otherwise than by virtue of section 16A(11A) of the 1998 Act. 

For any period during which a member is imprisoned, the member’s salary, and any additional salary payable if the member is an office holder, shall be reduced by 90%.

8.1. This paragraph applies if a member receives a salary as a member of the House of Lords.

8.2. The member is not entitled to any salary as a member of the Assembly.

8.3. The member may, if an office holder, receive the additional salary payable in respect of that office.  

8.4. Where this paragraph applies for only part of a year, the member’s salary shall be paid pro rata.

A member continues to be entitled to a pension in accordance with the Assembly Members Pension Scheme (as that scheme is from time to time amended).

Paragraph 39 of the Assembly Members (Office and Staffing Costs and Allowances) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2025 (recoupment of payments made by Commission) applies to payments made under this Determination.

11.1. The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 applies to this Determination as it applies to an Act of the Assembly. 

11.2. In this Determination—

‘1998 Act’ means the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

‘2011 Act’ means the Assembly Members (Independent Financial Review and Standards) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. 

‘Board’ means the Independent Remuneration Board established under section 1 of the 2011 Act. 

‘civil partner’ has the meaning given by section 1 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

‘cohabitant’ means either member of a couple (whether of different sexes or the same sex) living together as if they were married or civil partners.

‘Commission’ means the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission.

‘Employee earnings in Northern Ireland’ means the Accredited Official Statistics Publication by the NISRA on employee earnings in Northern Ireland.

‘initial period’ has the meaning given by paragraph 5.7.

‘initial vacancy period’ has the meaning given by paragraph 6.6.

‘member’ means member of the Assembly.

‘Ministerial offices’ mean the offices of the First Minister, deputy First Minister and Northern Ireland Ministers.

‘NISRA’ means the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

‘office holder’ means a member holding an office set out in Table 1.

‘year’ means a period of twelve months commencing on 1^st April.

11.3. A ‘specified committee’ is any of the following—

(a)   the committee established under section 60 of the 1998 Act (the Public Accounts Committee),

(b)   each committee established under section 29 of the 1998 Act (the statutory committees), and 

(c)   the committee established by paragraph 2 of Schedule 6B to the 1998 Act (the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee).

11.4. A ‘standing committee’ is any of the following—

(a)   the Assembly and Executive Review Committee,

(b)   the Audit Committee,

(c)   the Committee on Procedures, and

(d)   the Committee on Standards.

The Assembly Members (Salaries) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2026 is revoked.

13.1. Except as provided for in paragraph 13.2, this Determination comes into operation on the day on which the Assembly first meets following the next poll for the election of an Assembly under section 31 of the 1998 Act. 

13.2. Paragraph 4 (salary increases for members) comes into operation on 31^st March 2028.

13.3. This Determination may be cited as the Assembly Members (Salaries) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2027.

First period after the initial period

1. If, at the end of the initial period, the Assembly has failed to fill the Ministerial offices, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 1A.

Second period after the initial period

2. If, six weeks following the end of the initial period, the Assembly has failed to fill the Ministerial offices, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 1B.

Third period after the initial period

3. If, twelve weeks following the end of the initial period, the Assembly has failed to fill the Ministerial offices, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 1C.

First period after the initial vacancy period

1. If, at the end of the initial vacancy period, the Assembly has failed to fill the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 2A.

Second period after the initial vacancy period

2. If, six weeks following the end of the initial vacancy period, the Assembly has failed to fill the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 2B.

Third period after the initial vacancy period

3. If, twelve weeks following the end of the initial vacancy period, the Assembly has failed to fill the offices of First Minister and deputy First Minister, the additional salaries payable to office holders shall be those set out in Table 2C.