Northern Ireland Assembly Members Bill [HL]

My Lords, the purpose of this group of amendments is to force the Assembly to set up an independent body to decide on its remuneration packages, including pensions. I understand that it is in agreement with that. I am concerned that we jolly well get it done not in five years’ time but in five weeks’ time. On that basis, we hope that the first group of amendments can be welcomed by all parties. We support the Bill as far as it goes but believe that it ought to go further and ought to be firmer on what it is trying to achieve—the establishment of an independent body to determine the remuneration of Members of the Legislative Assembly. Amendments 1 and 2 remove the option for the Assembly to retain its powers to set salaries and expenses and, under Amendments 5 and 8, direct that the Assembly must pass an Act to establish an independent body. Amendment 7 does the same with regard to pensions. The amendments also mean that the Assembly cannot simply make a resolution conferring the functions on the Assembly Commission, which consists of the Speaker and five other Assembly Members. An Act of the Assembly is required. The Assembly will retain discretion on what kind of body it sets up, but the implication of the amendments is that the Assembly must act to address this issue. It is clear that all parties favour this. The letter from the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Hay, to the right honourable Paul Goggins MP on 16 November showed that there is a willingness to set up an independent statutory board. Our amendments are designed to show how crucial this is. As the noble Baroness, Lady Royall, said at Second Reading, the Northern Ireland Assembly remains the odd man out among the United Kingdom legislatures as it currently cannot delegate its powers to set salaries. It is clear that giving the task of setting salaries, expenses and pensions of the legislatures to independent bodies is the unstoppable trend. Parliament has been left chastened by revelations about the remunerations of Members and Northern Ireland was not immune. The Assembly in Stormont has been the subject of criticism since its creation—or, perhaps more accurately, since its first suspension—about the level of pay awarded to MLAs. As we have seen in Westminster, the criticism, whether justified or not, that politicians are in it for the money is incredibly damaging to the standing not just of individual politicians but to the very institutions of state. The delegation of powers to set levels of pay to a body which is seen to be separate from the political fray has come to be seen as one way to help restore trust in politics. Clearly, there is a recognition from parties in Northern Ireland and from the Government of these facts, as that is the very reason we have this Bill. However, it seems to us that if we knew then what we know now, in all likelihood the 1998 Act which set up the Northern Ireland Assembly would not contain provisions merely giving the Assembly power to establish an independent body, but rather would have made provision going ahead and setting up such a body in tandem with the other organs of devolved Government. Our amendments seek to take that route. We have all agreed that an independent body is a good idea, but we do not want to have to wait for years for it to come about. We simply wish to see it established without delay. We hope therefore that noble Lords will wish to support this first group of amendments. I beg to move.