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Assembly members paid £275,000 travel expenses since Stormont shut down

DUP leader Arlene Foster has not claimed any expenses for travelling to Stormont
DUP leader Arlene Foster has not claimed any expenses for travelling to Stormont DUP leader Arlene Foster has not claimed any expenses for travelling to Stormont

ASSEMBLY members have been paid more than £275,000 in travel allowances since Stormont shut down.

While there has been no executive of assembly since its collapse in January last year, members continue to use parliament buildings.

This includes for meetings, constituency business and talks aimed at restoring devolution.

Every member is entitled to an Annual Assembly Travel Allowance for getting to Stormont.

The amounts payable depend on the constituency represented. Those who represent Fermanagh and South Tyrone can claim the largest allowance while those in Belfast are entitled to a few hundred pounds.

Figures published on the assembly website show £221,866.29 was paid between April 2017 and March 2018 with a further £55,599.98 claimed between April and June of this year.

DUP leader and former first minister Arlene Foster is among a small number of members who did not submit any such claims in the 2017/18 financial year - and the only one outside Belfast.

The others were People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll, Claire Hanna of the SDLP, Alliance leader Naomi Long and SDLP member Nichola Mallon.

The figures show that during 2017/18, half of the 90 assembly members claimed the full amount to which they were entitled.

Mrs Foster also has not claimed a penny between April and June this year. Another 10 of the 90 members are yet to claim.

Fermanagh and South Tyrone representatives Rosemary Barton of the UUP and Jemma Dolan of Sinn Féin are among those to have claimed the highest amount this year.

The Independent Financial Review Panel set the level of expenses in 2016. It said the full allowance was based on a minimum of 72 days attendance at Stormont each year and must be accompanied by a signed declaration.

Costs are based on "existing mileage allowances for an estimated 72 return journeys per annum from constituency offices to Parliament Buildings".

An amount is added for travel within each constituency based on its geographical size.

A report commissioned by former Secretary of State James Brokenshire recommended the minimum attendance should be increased to 100 days.

In total, more than £7.7 million was paid in expenses - excluding salaries - to sitting and former members between April 2017 and June 2018.

This covers a range of costs including staff, office expenditure and winding-up payments and resettlement grants for former members.

In addition to the assembly journey allowance, members can also claim a separate payment for travel within their constituency.

Secretary of State Karen Bradley has announced that MLAs’ salaries would be slashed by more than £13,000 amid the continued collapse of devolved government.

MLA pay will fall from £49,500 to £35,888.