There are few spectacles more delicately choreographed than politicians debating their own salaries. At the the NEI Assembly at Stormont, the proposed increase in pay for MLAs has been presented, with commendable composure, as a matter of fairness and recognition.
Currently, an MLA earns in the region of £51,500 per year. The proposal under discussion would raise that to roughly £55,000–£56,000, an increase of about 7–8%. On paper, this seems tidy and rational — roughly in line with public-sector pay review trends. But context is everything. The median full-time salary in Northern Ireland sits closer to £31,000–£33,000. That places an MLA’s base salary at about 60–70% higher than the regional median, before allowances and expenses enter the conversation.
And this is where the phrase appears: “This work deserves better pay than this.” It is a sentence that hovers heroically above spreadsheets. Compared to what? Nurses in Northern Ireland often earn starting salaries under £30,000. Newly qualified teachers are in a similar range. Civil servants administering policy decisions frequently earn less than the people debating them.
Supporters of the increase argue that the role carries weighty responsibility: constituency work, legislative scrutiny, committee hours, and the small task of sustaining devolved government. They note that MLA pay has been effectively frozen or lagging behind inflation during periods when the Assembly was suspended. One could argue that if the job demands senior-level accountability, the salary should reflect it.
Public reaction, however, has been less lyrical. On local radio call-in shows and social media, responses have ranged from weary to volcanic. “Maybe they could try turning up for work consistently first,” one commenter wrote. Another observed, “It’s amazing how quickly consensus forms when it’s their own payslips.” The tone is not so much outraged as incredulous.
The optics are sharpened by recent history. Stormont has experienced extended suspensions over the past decade, including a three-year collapse from 2017 to 2020 and another prolonged hiatus beginning in 2022. During these periods, MLAs’ salaries were reduced — but not eliminated — which continues to colour public perception about value for money.
Of course, comparison with hedge fund managers is unnecessary; that particular galaxy of remuneration exists on a separate moral planet. The relevant comparison is closer to home: the median household juggling rising food and energy bills.
Ultimately, the question is not whether legislators deserve professional pay. It is whether citizens feel they are receiving professional governance in return.
If representation is a service, then perhaps the debate should not only ask what the job is worth — but what it is delivering. And voters, as ever, retain the final performance review.
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