Have your say on Assembly Members’ pay and allowances
How much should AMs claim when away from home? What should an Assembly Member be able to spend their allowances on? Is the system transparent and fair?
These are the questions being asked by an independent panel looking at the pay and financial support available for Assembly Members. Reporting to the National Assembly for Wales Commission, the Panel will seek views on salaries, expenses, allowances for office costs and support staff, constituency accommodation and IT.
Members of the public are being invited to write, email or voice their ideas and suggestions via one of the following:
Register on the site, and contribute to a discussion forum;
Submit views in writing to:IndependentReviewPanel@Wales.GSI.Gov.UK;
Attend public meetings at one of the following venues:
Venue Cymru, Llandudno, North Wales on Friday 5 December from 10.00-12.30
Celtic Suite, Colchester Avenue Centre, Cardiff on Tuesday 27 January at 10 -12:30
Call 029 2089 8664 or 029 2082 1833 for further details on how to attend these events.
Sir Roger Jones, Chair of the Panel, said:
“The main role of Assembly Members is to represent our interests when passing laws that will affect the lives of everyone living in Wales. We are determined, therefore, that people should have a say about how they are paid and how they are given funds to help them carry out this role effectively.
“There has been a significant public debate about the way in which elected politicians receive remuneration and support for their work. This is a good opportunity for individuals or groups to submit their views, either in writing or in person at one of the public meetings as to whether the current system needs changing and/or to share any ideas they may have for improvement.
“With people’s help, we want to ensure that any new system of pay and allowances is fair, transparent, and recognises and rewards AMs’ skills and those of the staff who help them in their work. We also need to make sure that it provides value for money.”
Notes for Journalists:
The Independent Review Panel into Member’s Allowances is chaired by Sir Roger Jones, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Swansea. The other panel members are the Rt Hon Dafydd Wigley, Nigel Rudd (former Chief Executive of the East Midlands Regional Assembly), and Jackie Nickson, (HR Manager, Opagus Group Ltd).
Assembly Members are entitled to allowances to cover expenses such as office costs and other expenses which they incur as part of their work. You can find more details about current allowances in the members section.