10. Mr McMurray asked the Assembly Commission whether funding is available for Members to ensure all constituency offices provide disability access. (AQO 674/22-27)

I thank the Member for his question. Financial assistance for Members is provided for by the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (NI) 2016, as amended by the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) (Amendment) Determination (NI) 2020. The determination enables Members to recover costs incurred in carrying out their Assembly duties, including providing constituent services through the establishment of a constituency office.

Members may claim the cost of making adjustments to their constituency office for persons with a disability that were not covered in the terms of the lease. The cost may be claimed from the constituency office operating expenses (COOE) allowance and from establishment expenses provisions. Those allowances are capped at £7,000 per year for COOE and £4,000 over a mandate for establishment expenses. The provisions of the determination do not prescribe the nature of adjustments that may be claimed for but should be taken to cover any cost that is required but is not covered by the terms of the lease.

The financial assistance provided under the determination is to cover the costs that Members incur wholly and exclusively in carrying out their Assembly duties. While the determination makes specific reference to adjustments at the office, that should not be taken to be the only cost that may be claimed. Should a Member incur other costs associated with providing constituency services to people with disabilities, those costs may also be claimed from the annual COOE budget. That may include but is not limited to sign language or interpretation services.

What plans are there to consider further adaptations to Parliament Buildings to approve accessibility?

I thank the Member for his question. The Commission is very aware of the need to ensure that Parliament Buildings is accessible to people with disabilities, and a number of alterations and improvements have been carried out for that purpose in recent years, including the installation of external and internal access ramps, alterations to staircases and lifts, installation of the Changing Places facility, upgrading of hearing loop systems and the provision of automatic opening doors in the basement, ground floor and first floor corridors.

The head of facilities management has commenced discussions with the Department of Finance property division on the commissioning of a disabled access survey to determine whether further improvements should be made to enhance accessibility in Parliament Buildings. Following completion of that survey, Building Services will examine possible improvements and consult Members as necessary.