Former East Derry MLA's to stand for election less than a year after receiving over £80,000 in severance packages

Two former East Derry MLAs are to stand for election less than a year after receiving ‘Stormont severance packages’ totalling over £80,000. Assembly members receive ‘resettlement payments’ designed to help them adapt to life outside of politics if they decide not to stand for re-election, or stand and are not returned at an election. Figures recently released by the Assembly showed a total of £1,174,999 was distributed among the thirty MLAs who did not return to the Assembly last May, with £696,331 given out in resettlement allowances and £471,151 spent on ‘winding up’ the former members’ Assembly business. Former SDLP MLA John Dallat, who was recently revealed as the sole SDLP candidate for the March 2 election, received £50,784 when he stepped down as an MLA last year This includes a resettlement payment of £28,800, while £21,984 went towards winding up assembly business. Support staff salary costs totalling £17,375 were paid from the latter figure, as were rent and rates for SDLP offices in Kilrea and Limavady. Mr Dallat told the County Derry Post that he has consulted SDLP staff about potentially returning money if elected in March. “The first thing I did was contact our General Secretary to explore what can be done about that because I couldn’t have foreseen a year ago that we’d have a snap election,” he said. “I couldn’t have foreseen that Stormont would be in such a financial crisis as it is in. I am certainly not going back into the Assembly, if elected, to make money. That’s not the motivation.” “If there’s money that needs to be paid back, it will be paid back.” Former Sinn Féin MLA Cathal Ó hOisín will also be attempting to return to the assembly, after losing his seat in last May’s election. Mr Ó hOisín received a payment of £32,883 last year, £15,998 of which was a resettlement payment. The remaining £16,807 was used to wind up assembly business, including rent and rates for what is now Caoimhe Archibald’s constituency office on Dungiven Main Street and £15,206 for support staff salary costs. Cathal Ó hOisín also told the County Derry Post that he would seek advice from his party about the matter if re-elected. “The payments that I received allowed me to wrap up my caseload. I was working in the Dungiven advice centre right up until Christmas,” he said. “I certainly would be taking some advice from the party on what to do about this if re-elected.” According to a report on the Assembly website, a former assembly member “may recover a resettlement payment of one calendar month’s salary for each completed year of service, with reference to the salary paid to an ordinary Member, subject to a maximum payment equal to 6 months’ salary.” The report states that resettlement payments are “analogous to a redundancy or notice payment.” “It is designed to recognise that politics can be a short-term and unpredictable occupation,” it reads. “The amount is based on the member’s age at the date of dissolution and the number of complete years of service as a member at that time.” At least 22 MLAs across the north will qualify from resettlement payments following the March election, as the number of assembly members is reduced and several sitting MLAs have announced they will not contest the election.