24Assistance to groups of Assembly members
(1)The Assembly Commission must make to (or in respect of) political groups to which Assembly members belong such payments as the Assembly from time to time determines for the purpose of assisting Assembly members who belong to those political groups to perform their functions as Assembly members.
(2)A determination under subsection (1) may make provision—
(a)for calculating the amount of any payment to (or in respect of) a political group,
(b)for the conditions subject to which payments to (or in respect of) a political group are to be made, and
(c)for claims for such payments to be made to the Assembly Commission.
(3)A determination under subsection (1) may make different provision for different political groups.
(4)If a motion making a determination under subsection (1) is passed on a vote it has no effect unless at least two-thirds of the Assembly members voting support it.
(5)The standing orders must include provision for determining for the purposes of this Act whether any Assembly member belongs to a political group and, if so, to which; and (in particular)—
(a)may include provision for treating an Assembly member as not belonging to a political group unless a specified number of Assembly members belong to it, and
(b)must include provision requiring the Presiding Officer to decide any questions arising under the provision included by virtue of this subsection.
(6)The standing orders must include provision—
(a)for the publication of every determination under this section, and
(b)for the publication for each financial year of information about the sums paid under this section in the financial year.