Ford urges public say on MLA pay

Following last week's dispute over MLAs' pay awards, Alliance leader David Ford has launched a withering attack on the current system of pay recommendations.

In a statement, the Alliance Party leader has called for the setting up an independent 'Citizen's Jury' to pass judgement on assembly members' future salary recommendations. The move follows all-party rejection of a £5,000 pay award recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Board last week.

Mr Ford said that a public body was needed to restore confidence in the Assembly: "The public believe that MLAs are getting huge pay hikes for very little work while Northern Ireland can't even get enough skilled hospital staff because of low pay. Independent evaluation is appropriate for nurses, teachers and firemen - it should be good enough for MLAs."

Given the legislative record of the assembly, Mr Ford expressed reservations about the effectiveness of the assembly and the questioned whether MLAs merited such awards.

Mr Ford said: "The recent SSRB report recommendations were based on the assembly working properly for the people of Northern Ireland. Obviously that is not happening, and I am not the only one who thinks that.

"While the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly have made significant impacts on the life of their citizens, there is no doubt that, so far, the people of Northern Ireland have seen very little change brought about by the Assembly."

Mr Ford claimed that the assembly had a "growing list of failed targets" and that there was a "lack of progress on the Programme for Government".

"That is why Alliance is proposing that an independent 'Citizen's Jury' should pass judgement on future pay increases for assembly members.

"The SSRB has assessed our work from a London perspective, assuming that the institutions were functioning properly. We need the people of Northern Ireland to have their say on whether we are actually living up to our responsibilities."

(GMcG)