6. Mrs Mason asked the Assembly Commission for an update on plans to assist Members to improve personal security across all constituency offices. (AQO 670/22-27)

14. Mr Honeyford asked the Assembly Commission for its assessment of the security provision for Members and staff working alone in constituency offices. (AQO 678/22-27)

With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 6 and 14 together.

I thank the Members for their questions. I assure Members that the security of staff and Members working in constituency offices is something the Assembly Commission takes extremely seriously and has discussed frequently in recent times. The Assembly Commission recognises that we are in a different environment now from when the Assembly was first established, particularly with social media, and is mindful of the experiences of Members across the House.

The Assembly Commission considered a number of options and agreed that additional funding will be made available to Members for the provision of security measures. As Members will be aware, financial assistance is provided through the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination 2016, as amended by the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) (Amendment) Determination 2020. Currently, Members can claim for health and safety and security measures at their constituency offices from the £7,000 constituency office operating expenses budget or their £4,000 establishment expenses budget.

Both limits were increased in 2020 to reflect the inclusion of security measures in the list of admissible expenditure. The Assembly Commission has, however, agreed that further funding should now be made available to Members to be used exclusively for the provision of security measures at constituency offices and/or Members' private dwellings.

The additional allowance may also cover the provision of lone worker devices, should Members elect to purchase such devices for themselves or their support staff. Some £4,000 will be made available to Members for that purpose. Further changes to the determination will be required to give effect to that decision. A revised determination will be published once the specifics of the provision and a number of other administrative changes are agreed.

The head of Usher Services has recently been in contact with the PSNI, which has historically taken the lead on personal security matters and crime prevention advice. The PSNI has provided advice on such matters to Members on request. That has included carrying out survey visits to constituency offices and providing advice and recommendations relevant to personal and physical security measures. The PSNI also briefed Members and their office staff at Parliament Buildings on 30 April this year. The briefing was well attended and provided an opportunity for Members and their staff to seek personal security advice and to raise specific issues about their personal security.

Do you need an extra minute for your answer?

No, I will finish up. Assembly Commission officials are in discussion with the PSNI about the possibility of a further briefing session for Members at Parliament Buildings in the autumn.

Given the recent media coverage of security incidents at MPs' offices, what is the position on the provision of personal security advice and funding for Members of other legislatures?

Assembly Commission officials have held brief discussions with counterparts at UK Parliaments and the Houses of the Oireachtas. Although all confirmed provision of funding for Member security, including that for constituency offices, only the Scottish Parliament and the Houses of the Oireachtas have released any details. The Scottish Parliament has made provision of up to £5,000 for MSPs for the installation of security measures at constituency offices, with further provision of up to £2,000 for Members' private dwellings and £500 for Edinburgh accommodation. The Houses of the Oireachtas currently provide up to a maximum of €5,000 or 50% of actual costs, whichever is less, for measures installed across all of the Member's property.

Thanks for your answer. Can you give us a timeline for when the additional funding will be available?

It is important for Members to know when they can avail themselves of it. The existing determination has to be changed, and the specifics of the new provision have still to be agreed by the Assembly Commission. Once those and a number of administrative changes are agreed, the Assembly Commission will consider a revised determination. It is anticipated that the Assembly Commission will consider that revised determination in September. Members are reminded that, in the meantime, should costs arise that relate to security measures, those are recoverable under the provisions of the current determination. It is anticipated that, if they are incurred prior to the publication of a new determination, such costs can then be transferred to the new cost provision when the determination is published.

The member of the Assembly Commission will be aware that many of our staff have expressed a large degree of disquiet, particularly with the recent briefings. I make a declaration of interest: my office has been threatened by paramilitaries. We have had the PSNI come to our office. It has made recommendations similar to those for a Westminster MP, and those recommendations far outstrip the amount of money or consideration of support that is likely to be available. When will the Commission get serious about this?

I assure the Member that the Commission is deadly serious about this.

I am not sure.

Yes, we are. At the most recent Commission meeting, this was a hot topic, and we have pressed officials to make sure that, as I said in answer to a previous question, should any incident occur, Members feel free to act immediately and not wait for the determination —.

Or wait to be attacked first.

Order.

If I may finish, they should not wait for the determination in September. They can recoup those costs once the final determination is made.