Keeping It In The Family
In the wake of the scandal concerning the Tory MP Derek Conway's payments to his son as a Westminster researcher, there has been a focus on MLAs' employment of family members. A number of parties have now issued lists of those MLAs who employ relatives. Here is the story so far.
Sinn Fein say there is no place for nepotism in politics, and they employ their staff on merit.
The party goes on to say that "Dodie McGuinness had previously been employed by Martin McGuinness through Westminster. She is no longer employed by the party. She was related to Martin through marriage to his brother although this relationship ended some 20 years ago and long before she was employed by the party. Her appointment was based on merit.
Grainne Maskey, who is a niece of both Alex and Paul Maskey, is employed by Fra McCann as a political advisor. Her appointment was based on merit.
Shauneen Baker is employed by Carál Nà ChuilÃn as a political advisor. She is married to Carál’s husband’s brother. Her appointment was based on merit."
UPDATE: Partly in response to a comment on this blog entry regarding Martina Anderson, Sinn Fein has now sent me amended family details as follows:
"Grainne Maskey, who is a niece of both Alex and Paul Maskey, is employed by Fra McCann as a political advisor. Her appointment was based on merit.
Shauneen Baker is employed by Carál Nà ChuilÃn as a political advisor. She is married to Carál’s husband’s brother. Her appointment was based on merit.
Paul Kavanagh, Martina Anderson’s husband, is employed by Raymond McCartney. He works primarily as a policy researcher. His employment was based on merit."
The SDLP says 10 of their MLAs employ family members. Here is their list:
"Alex Attwood (West Belfast) – Brother part-time constituency worker
Dominic Bradley (Newry and Armagh) – None
Mary Bradley (Foyle) – Daughter full-time researcher and office manager
PJ Bradley (South Down) – Daughter full-time researcher and secretary
Thomas Burns (South Antrim) – None
John Dallat (East Derry) – Wife full-time office manager
Mark Durkan (Foyle) Wife part-time receptionist
Tommy Gallagher (Fermanagh and South Tyrone) – Son full-time administrator and constituency worker
Carmel Hanna (South Belfast) – Sister part-time administration and planning
Dolores Kelly (Upper Bann) – Daughter one-year part-time contract administration and research
Alban Maginness (North Belfast) – None
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (South Belfast) – None but employs a niece on a temporary contract as a receptionist for Westminster
Patsy McGlone (Mid-Ulster) - None
Declan O’Loan (North Antrim) – None
Pat Ramsey (Foyle) – Wife, part-time driver
Margaret Ritchie (South Down) - None"
Four out of the seven Alliance members employ relatives. They are...
Stephen Farry MLA Dr Wendy Farry Wife Research and constituency work
Naomi Long MLA Michael Long Husband Communications, research and constituency work
Kieran McCarthy MLA Philip McCarthy Son General secretarial work
Séan Neeson MLA Carol Neeson Wife Secretarial work
The DUP won't confirm any family details sticking to a statement issued on Friday by their chief whip Lord Morrow which says they have to respect the confidentiality of their 100 plus staff in more than 40 offices.
At the time of writing I haven't got figures for the UUP but will add them if and when I have.
P.S. A commenter on this blog asked if Mary Bradley employed her husband as a driver. The SDLP says she does not and has not. They responded soon after the comment was made but due to a technical gremlin my attempt to add the statement on to the comments appears to have failed. So apologies for this late addition.
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Mark i think you are going to be totally shocked when you view figures for unionists - its well known in local circles that the DUP employ family members like nothing normal!!! another evidence of their corruption.
With the three largest parties in westminster urging discolsure the DUP silence is deafining as the 4th largest party.Looks like the info will have to be draged out of them.
Might the DUP's bashful response to this issue (not a characterisic we often associate with them) suggest that their snouts are even deeper in the trough than the rest? The number of Robinsons employed by the DUP must be coincidental. It is, after all, a reasonably common name.
Do family members or people working in a constituency office have to sign up to any data protection acts or how is confidentiality kept within these offices?
It surprises me that no-one has yet done a comparison either at Westminster on here on a comparison between what politicians pay ordinary support staff versus what the pay their relatives.
I doubt if any admin staff could match the sort of wages levels for part time work that we are hearing from Westminster. Are our local MLA's paying all staff on normal pay scales?
I doubt it!
The most interesting revelation is that Pat Ramsey of the SDLP employs his wife as a driver. I am worried incase my missus starts getting ideas that I would somehow pay her to drive me about!
Also the DUP seem a little shy on the matter... c'mon Mr Robinson tell us how much your immediate family makes off the good people of Ulster?
The DUP maybe have something to hide when they dont release their figures
The question now for the parties who have declared and talk to us all day long about civil rights how did they recruit these individuals. Was it open, was it fair and did every one get the opportunity to apply or at worse did everyone in their party get the opportunoty to apply.
I see the list of staff that used to appear on the DUP website along with their list of constituency offices has somehow disappeared ....
I wonder if it has anything to do with the currrent debate re employment of family mambers ? - not that I have a problem necessarily with that, IF they are actually doing the work and getting paid what anyone else would get paid to do the same job.
The Tory MP who started this story got in trouble because his son wasn't doing the work he was getting paid for. Where a family member is doing the work they are paid for there shouldn't be a problem, but I agree greater transparency would remove the suggestion of impropriety.
A more pertinant question that can be put towards Sinn Fein especially is how many of them employ the families of their colleagues. I think you'll find a much longer list.
Is this a surprise Mark? I would have thought it common knowledge that jobs for the boys has been the one thing that united the MLA's! Why did it take the Conway story for local fearless seekers of truth to look into this area?
I noticed that not many sinn fein mla's disclosed information about the employment of family members and friends. I think perhaps this would be a bit too scandalous for the public to take. I also think my money would be safe in betting that pretty much all of them are employing other people to do pretty much nothing at the expense of the taxpayer. This also exposes the fact that they believe in the policy of jobs for the boys.
Seamus (of the SDLP Press Office perhaps) little bit of bitterness that about the revelation that over 60% of SDLP MLA's employ immediate family relatives while it looks like only a small number of SF MLA's do the same.
Maybe this is becuase no one else will work for the SDLP. But I reckon that the situation between the SDLP and the other Unionists is probably just as bad because they all come from the same culture of feathering their own nest.
Mark
Given the focus SF have had on employment legislation to promote equality, I wonder what "recruitment on merit" means for them? Presumably to comply with the legislation they supported, all these posts were advertised and filled through open competitions? Can we see the adverts in the newpapers proving this?
Hi Mark
I have been told that Martina Andersons husband works for her but I do not see it on the list of MLAs with family employees.
Anderson is her Maiden Name
How can Ian Paisley pay Ian Jun to do his constituency work when he is already has a 'full-time' job in the same constituency as an MLA, does Jun pay his wife to 'hold the fort' while he gets a bit extra working for the father?
Listen to all you cynics! I have full confidence that the upstanding members of our assembly will address this issue immediatley and of course regulate themselves accordingly, because we all know how much politicians love to regulate themselves.
Mark, good work, but you are not getting the full picture. Does Martina Anderson employ her husband, possibly as a researcher? Does Martin McGuinness employ Raymond McCartneys brother as a driver? Does Mary Bradley, or did she, employ her husband as a driver? It just goes on and on. Ask who employed family members in the past.
Interesting to see Michael Long local councillor has anytime left in the day to work for his wife Naomi Long full time as well as his full time dentistry job and on top of his council position!!!
MARK REPLIES: Alliance has asked me to clarify that Michael Long works part time as a dentist and part time as a researcher for his wife, so is not holding down two full time jobs.
Party development is being impeded when young bright candidates who could be the political leaders of the future are blocked from growth and opportunity because the main party leaders want to keep it in the family. Hence the destruction of democracy they all claim to espouse.
Hmmm. I wonder how many of these posts were widely advertised and subject to a fully documented recruitment process?