Northern Ireland Act 1998

47 Remuneration of members

(1) The Assembly shall pay to members of the Assembly such salaries as the Assembly may from time to time determine.

(2) The Assembly may pay to members of the Assembly such allowances as the Assembly may from time to time determine.

(3) A determination under this section may provide—

(a) for higher salaries to be payable to members of the Assembly—

(i) holding office as a Minister or junior Minister;

(ii) holding office as Presiding Officer or deputy;

(iii) holding office as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission; or

(iv) holding an office specified in standing orders; and

(b) for different salaries to be payable to members of the Assembly holding different such offices.

(4) A determination under this section shall provide that, if a salary is payable to a member of the Assembly as a member of either House of Parliament or of the European Parliament, his salary as a member of the Assembly shall be reduced—

(a) to a proportion of what it would otherwise be or to a particular amount; or

(b) by the amount of the other salary payable to him, by a proportion of that amount or by some other amount.

(5) A determination under this section may provide for different allowances for different cases.

(6) A determination under this section may provide for salaries or allowances to change from time to time by reference to other amounts or specified formulas.

(7) The Assembly may not delegate the function of making a determination under this section.

(8) Standing orders must include provision for the publication of every determination under this section.

(9) For the purposes of this section—

(a) a person’s membership of the Assembly begins on the day on which he takes his seat in accordance with standing orders; and

(b) a person’s holding of such an office as is mentioned in subsection (3)(a) begins on the day on which he takes up office.

(10) For the purposes of this section, a person who is a member of the Assembly immediately before the Assembly is dissolved shall be treated—

(a) if he continues to hold such an office as is mentioned in subsection (3)(a)(i) to (iii), as if he were a member of the Assembly until the end of the day on which he ceases to hold the office; and

(b) if he does not fall within paragraph (a) but is nominated as a candidate at the subsequent general election, as if he were a member of the Assembly until the end of the day of the poll for that election.

(11) Any expenditure incurred by the Assembly under this section shall be defrayed out of money appropriated by Act of the Assembly.