Keeping It In The Family 4
At the start of the month the DUP said they wouldn't be issuing a list of MLAs who employ family members on the grounds of staff confidentiality. But then a recent list of constituency advice centre staff removed from their party website came to light. The party pointed out that this was out of date. Now the party chairman Lord Morrow has confirmed that the DUP employs 136 people in total of whom 26 are relatives of MLAs.
Here is the DUP list:
Gregory Campbell – wife (Full Time) – employs 7 in total
Nigel Dodds – wife (Full Time) and son (Part Time) – employs 7 in total
Jeffrey Donaldson – wife (Part Time) – employs 8 in total
William Hay – son-in-law (Full Time) – employs 3 in total
William Irwin – daughter (Full Time) – employs 2 in total
Nelson McCausland – nephew (Part Time) – employs 3 in total
Ian McCrea – wife (Part Time) – employs 4 in total
William McCrea – son (Full Time) and daughter (Full Time) – employs 6 in total
Michelle McIlveen – brother (Full Time) – employs 3 in total
Adrian McQuillan – sister-in-law (Full Time) – employs 3 in total
Maurice Morrow – sister-in-law (Full Time) – employs 3 in total
Robin Newton – wife (Full Time) and son (Part Time) – employs 2 in total
Dr Paisley – son (Part Time) and two daughters (Full Time) – employs 7 in total
George Robinson – son (Full Time) and nephew (Part Time) – employs 4 in total
Iris Robinson – son (Full Time) and daughter-in-law (Part Time) – employs 6 in total
Peter Robinson – son (Full Time) and daughter (Full Time) – employs 4 in total
Jimmy Spratt – wife (Part Time) – employs 3 in total
Jim Wells – daughter (Part Time) – employs 6 in total
Separately it's been confirmed that John Lyon, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is examining a complaint about Ian Paisley Senior's employment of his son as a Westminster researcher. He is yet to decide if it merits a full investigation. Ian Jr. has confirmed that he earns between 9 thousand and 11 thousand pounds for this role.
Meanwhile our Investigations Correspondent Mike McKimm has a story about Gregory Campbell's office allowance in East Londonderry which you can hear on tonight's Evening Extra.
UPDATE: After I posted this yesterday the DUP put out a clarification:
"Further to the recent disclosure of information regarding relatives employed by MPs and MLAs please be aware that Edwin Poots employs his wife on a part-time basis.
19 out of 36 representatives employ family members. The total number (27) of family members employed by the DUP amounts to less than 20% of the 136 people employed by the party. "
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Do members of the House of Lords employ staff? Obviously in the DUP's case Morrow and Browne are also MLAs, but does Baroness Paisley employ any staff or have office costs?
Do you think your colleague, Gareth Gordon, has the nerve to ask the former Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church if he would confirm that avarice is one of the deadly sins, or is it just a happy family matter?
This is a scam that is well known to you journos. Once elected get your spouse to acquire a property, you open your constituency office in it, pay her rent, thus paying the mortgage. Bingo! over a period of years the property is now payed foe and is your family pension, payed for by the taxpayer. No flys on the DUP.
Seems Edwin Poots admited live on TV he employed family, yet he isn't on this list. One would wonder at the accuracy of the list.
Mark
GREGORY CAMPBELL: DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE
As with the UUP list that you blogged yesterday * this DUP list is equally worthless. The Parties are grasping at straws if they think the Public will believe that these are genuine attempts at transparency.
There is something seriously flawed at the heart of this Assembly. The Parties are ducking and diving, coming up with lame excuses to defend their handling of Expenses and Allowances. It won’t wash. As late as this morning on Good Morning Ulster, Gregory Campbell tried to justify the circumstances in which he rents his constituency office from his wife; no need to go into the details but in response to Conor Bradford’s forensic questioning, Gregory’s defence of the arrangement was beyond parody. I would recommend readers listen to this interview.** It’s a gem!
* /blogs/thereporters/markdevenport/2008/02/keeping_it_in_the_family_3.html
** /northernireland/radioulster/gmu/
Susie
Carryduff
Mark
re #5 ** /northernireland/radioulster/gmu/
Not being able to appreciate his rental arrangement enriches his family clearly indicates Mr Campbell is not fit to hold public office but at least he demonstrated he is well suited for a career as a snake oil salesman.
I think the list the DUP have produced is rubbish. Edwin Poots admitted that he employs family yet it is not on the list.
I have to mention Gregory Campbell. He met his match in Conor Bradford on friday morning on Radio Ulster. I thought at the time surely I am not the only one who thinks this is great radio. Clearly Suzie loves it too. Gregory thought he could push Conor over but Conor got stuck in and rightly so. For Conor to get paid what he does it is not enough for some of the ignorant people he has to interview. In fact Mark the same for all you journalists. When politicians come on and talk you down you have more manners than them. Well done to yourself and all your colleagues. Keep up the good work.
How many married women, with families, do you know who would attain a mortgage on their own and manage to keep up the payments?? How many would even want to do this?? Need to be earning big wages to do it.Most wives who work do so to help keep a roof over their heads in their family home !!
Pandora, as far as I know, Free Pees don't believe any sin, or group of sins, is more deadly than any other.
Apart from bigotry, picking on minorities and stirring up riots, which aren't really sins at all.
When Tony Blair a few years ago said the 'train was leaving', he obviously meant 'the gravy train'- from MLA allowances, employment of family members, renting property owned by spouses, persons holding double, triple and quadruple posts, victims commissions, Consultancy Group on the Past (fees £680.00 per day!) etc etc. How nauseating this is, not only to the general public but even more so to all the injured and grieving real victims many of whom are sitting quietly, disgusted by the whole scenario. Rotten, State and Denmark come to mind as do the Biblical 7 deadly sins. The good Doctor would do well to remind his family and party members. Do not come to my door at the next election, and indeed everyone should chase them and claim back some decency and integrity.
Mark
ASSEMBLY SLEAZE – DRIP, DRIP, DRIP
Drip, drip, drip! We’re getting almost daily revelations about doubtful practices surrounding MLA expenses and allowances. The latest MLA to be ‘outed’ is Kieran McCarthy who seems to be unembarrassed about what looks like a very dubious rental arrangement* with his wife in regard to a rundown constituency office in Kircubbin. It is hard to decide whether McCarthy is a knave or a fool.
*
Susie
Carryduff
27 February, 2008
In answer to RJ the bibele makes it clear that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" To bridge that gap and be reconciled to God we must admit our sin, repent from it and trust in Christ who has paid for our sin by his death on the cross.
Also there seems to be the assumption that the DUP are all free P's. Whilst there are many (for free p's care about the state of the country) there are also many from all the other protestant denominations.
Free P'ism is only the 4th largest denomination in NI - is RJ not picking on a minority?
Mr McCarthy's "rundown constituency office" happens to be part of his house....which is attached onto his draper's shop.