Copy of a letter sent to Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, on the subject of remuneration and allowances.
Copies also sent to David Cameron and Nick Clegg
Dear Prime Minister,
Remuneration and allowances for MPs, MSPs, AMs and MLAs
The above topic has exercised the minds of many in Parliament in recent weeks, and it has had a spill-over in the devolved regions as well.
I find it difficult to believe that we continue year in year out with a system that subjects public representatives to ridicule and derision from the press and public alike, due to the anomaly that we are responsible for setting our own rates of pay, at the same time as we are setting the rates of pay for large numbers of public sector workers.
As Minister for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, my Department has been trying to resolve a long running pay dispute with college lecturers and defending public sector pay policy of confining costs of living increases to 2% in the current year.
Last week there was a rumour that the Senior Salaries Review Body was intending to recommend that Stormont MLAs receive a 16% increase in pay; and as you can imagine there was uproar, even though the Body will not be reporting until July.
Taken together with the matter of MP’s allowances, it all goes to convince me that there must be a better way of restoring public confidence in the political process and ridding ourselves of the responsibility for setting our own pay and allowances.
There are a range of other matters which I believe are bringing politics into disrepute. These include:
The employment of family members in unjustifiable circumstances.
Multiple mandates and responsibility allowances (these are rife in Northern Ireland but may not be such a problem in the rest of the UK).
Lack of clarity and consistency in the management of public representative’s constituency office costs allowance.
Confusion over the rules for the payment of rent for constituency office purposes.
I have no doubt that other Party Leaders share similar concerns and I am copying this letter to them with a view to seeing if a consensus can be reached on urgently needed and far reaching reforms.
I have no doubt that if these matters could be resolved we would have an opportunity to restore public confidence in the political process and ensure that future generations of politicians are not subject to inevitable criticism for operating a system that has long since past its sell-by-date and would not be tolerated in other walks of public life.
I understand that Parliament is asking a number of senior Members to look into some of these issues, but I believe that with widespread devolution in the UK the time has come for a national solution to cover Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
If we are seen to be tackling this on a national scale, then the public will see that the issues are being taken seriously throughout the United Kingdom, so that we can all get on with our work without these periodic episodes which undermine our collective credibility.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that public representatives should no longer be setting their own payment and allowances; that representatives should not have multiple mandates; and that the processes for handling allowances should be open and transparent.
I would be interested to know your views on these issues, and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Yours Sincerely,
Sir Reg Empey OBE MLA
Leader
The Ulster Unionist Party.
Annex to letter
In Northern Ireland most MPs are also Members of the Assembly, including Sinn Fein Members who do not attend Parliament. The only exceptions are Lady Sylvia Hermon MP (UUP) and Eddie McGrady MP (SDLP).
In addition to this, 7 out of 9 DUP MPs are also Councillors as well as MLAs; three are Ministers; and five are also Chairs of Assembly Committees (four of these are salaried positions).
It is obvious that only a clear legislative decision will end this double/treble jobbing.
A majority of MLAs from all Parties are District Councillors.
Conflicts of interest are inevitable. While this practice may have been acceptable when there was a doubt over the viability of the Assembly, it is now safer to assume that it is permanent. A clear prohibition on these practices would send out the signal that things are settled here.