To ask the Assembly Commission, given that MLA remuneration is currently under independent review, whether it has any plans to review MLAs' staff pay scales and grading structures.

Ms Ennis

I thank the Member for his question. On 18 March 2020, the Assembly Commission agreed that determining MLA salaries and pensions should continue to be the role of an independent body but that the determination of allowances could be undertaken by the Assembly Commission. Powers to make determinations on allowances were conferred on the Assembly Commission by the Assembly on 30 June 2020. Those powers include determining matters relating to MLAs’ support staff salaries. On 27 August 2020, the Assembly Commission made the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) (Amendment) Determination 2020. It introduced several changes relating to the terms and conditions of MLA support staff, including updated pay scales. That was in response to the ongoing concerns raised by MLAs regarding staff terms and conditions and the Assembly Commission's desire to ensure that the terms and conditions for support staff were fair and reasonable. At that time, the pay scales and grading structures were aligned to those of Assembly Commission staff, including a provision for annual indexation, which aligned to the rate used by the Assembly Commission each year. Pay scales for MLA staff and the associated grading structures are not dependent on MLA remuneration. Therefore, it is not necessary for reviews to be undertaken at the same time. A new determination was published in February 2025, and, while no changes were made to the pay scales or grading structures at that time, the Assembly Commission continues to keep the provisions under review.

Ms Ennis

I wholly concur: we could not do our jobs without the valuable support of our staff in our constituency offices and in Parliament Buildings. As set out in paragraph 1 of the determination, its purpose is to ensure that Members do not suffer financial detriment by reason of costs incurred in connection with the exercise of functions as Members. Therefore, the Assembly Commission is mindful of the need to ensure that the provisions of the determination fulfil that purpose and are set at an appropriate level. Indexation provisions were introduced in the 2020, as I said, in the determination in relation to the salaries of Members' staff, and further indexation was introduced in the 2025 determination in relation to constituency office operating costs. A further comprehensive review of the determination is therefore not scheduled. Typically, that would be undertaken in advance of a new mandate, and I hope that we would look at that in advance of the 2027 election.