MLAs Set for Another Pay Rise — But Have They Really Earned It?

Northern Ireland’s MLAs are in line for another pay rise, taking their basic annual salary to £69,216 from May 2027.

The proposed increase of more than £2,000 might appear modest in isolation. However, it follows a substantial rise awarded only months ago, when MLA salaries increased by almost 27% — adding more than £14,000 to their annual pay.

For many people across Northern Ireland, that is the figure that will be difficult to accept.

What do MLAs currently earn?

The basic salary for an MLA is now around £67,000 a year. If the latest proposal goes ahead, it will rise to £69,216 from the first sitting of the next Assembly mandate.

That is only the basic salary. Some MLAs receive additional payments for holding senior positions, such as serving as a minister, committee chair, Speaker or other office holder.

MLAs can also claim approved expenses and receive support for constituency offices and staff. These funds are intended to help them represent constituents and should not be confused with personal income, but they remain part of the wider public cost of maintaining Stormont.

The Independent Remuneration Board argues that politicians’ pay should reflect the responsibility and complexity of the job while ensuring that financial barriers do not discourage people from standing for election.

That may be a reasonable principle. The more uncomfortable question is whether the public has received performance worthy of the salary.

Has Stormont delivered enough?

MLAs have important responsibilities. They make laws, scrutinise government departments, represent constituents and are expected to hold ministers to account.

Many individual representatives work long hours dealing with difficult cases involving housing, benefits, healthcare, education and immigration. That work should not be dismissed.

But salaries should reflect not only responsibility, but results.

Northern Ireland still has no agreed budget five months into the financial year. Departments are facing a potential funding shortfall of up to £1.6 billion, while essential services continue to operate under intense pressure.

Health waiting lists remain deeply concerning. Schools and public services face cuts, and some workers have resorted to industrial action while waiting for improved pay.

Against that background, another increase for MLAs was always going to provoke anger.

The public will also remember the long periods when Stormont was suspended but many elected representatives continued receiving significant salaries. That history has not disappeared simply because the Assembly is now functioning again.

“More than adequately paid”

Alliance MLA Eóin Tennyson has publicly opposed the proposed increase, saying MLAs are already more than adequately paid and describing the plan as out of touch.

NIPSA deputy general secretary Maria Morgan also warned that the proposal would be badly received by public-sector workers, particularly after the recent 27% salary increase.

Their concerns are understandable. Nurses, classroom assistants and other essential workers are routinely told that budgets are limited and difficult decisions must be made.

Politicians may not set their own salaries directly, but that distinction will offer little comfort to someone waiting months for treatment or struggling to pay household bills.

Is £69,216 excessive?

Supporters of the increase may point out that MLAs would still earn less than politicians elsewhere.

Members of the Scottish Parliament receive more than £77,000, members of the Welsh Parliament earn almost £80,000 and Westminster MPs receive more than £98,000 annually.

However, comparing salaries without comparing performance tells only part of the story.

Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions have repeatedly collapsed, budgets have been delayed and major reforms have often been postponed. The public is entitled to ask why political salaries should continue moving upwards automatically when the same certainty does not exist for the workers delivering frontline services.

Do they deserve it?

Some MLAs undoubtedly work hard and provide invaluable support to their constituents. Others may struggle to convince the public that they are delivering value approaching £70,000 a year.

The real issue is accountability.

If MLA salaries are linked automatically to earnings growth, should part of that pay also depend on the Assembly remaining operational, budgets being agreed on time and elected representatives meeting clear standards for attendance and participation?

Paying politicians properly is important in a functioning democracy. But rewarding Stormont before it demonstrates consistent delivery risks further damaging public confidence.

An independent board may ultimately make the decision, but MLAs can still state clearly whether they believe the rise is justified — and whether they would personally accept it.

With public services facing cuts and workers still fighting for better pay, Northern Ireland’s politicians should expect one straightforward question from the people funding their salaries:

What have you delivered to deserve another increase?