Stormont MLAs will receive a £14,000 pay rise from April 1, the Independent Remuneration Board has confirmed. Their salaries will now be £67,200 – a 26.8% increase.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill has been criticised for not attending security briefings held by the UK Government on the situation in the Middle East. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has been attending with other ministers from devolved governments.
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will see a pay rise of £14,000 if the draft determination by the Independent Remuneration Board goes ahead.
Pádraig Delargy will not stand for re-election next year, he announced on Friday. The Sinn Féin MLA for Foyle was first co-opted in 2021 and subsequently re-elected in 2022. He is moving away from the constituency.
Stormont’s standards watchdog has found that SDLP MLA and Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole breached rule 12 of the MLA code of conduct when he revealed that he had submitted a complaint against Communities Minister Gordon Lyons last year.
In response to a letter from DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Jon Burrows has said he is open to ‘constructive cooperation that best serves the union’.
The TUV’s Timothy Gaston has been suspended from the Assembly for two days following comments he made towards Paula Bradshaw, chair of the Executive Office committee, in October 2024.
Jon Burrows and Diana Armstrong were ratified as leader and deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) at an Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday.
The DUP has announced that Adam Copeland will replace Gareth Wilson on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. The vacancy follows William Irwin’s retirement from the Northern Ireland Assembly.