SF should lose parliamentary allowances, says unionist

Sinn Féin MPs should be stripped of their parliamentary allowances if the British government cancels the salaries and allowances of Assembly members in the absence of the restoration of devolution in November, it was claimed today.

Political parties in the North have been given until November 24 to strike a deal for the return of the power-sharing Assembly at Stormont. If they fail to do so Tony Blair says he will wind up the Assembly and stop all payments.

East Belfast Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland said following the premise that Assembly members get no money for not performing their elected functions, Sinn Féin should lose their Westminster allowances as well because of their abstentionist policy.

Mr Copeland said: “Sinn Féin MPs currently do not sit in the chamber in the Houses of Parliament. Subsequently they do not vote, sit in committees, nor take part in any vestige of parliamentary activity apart from constituency work – yet they are still in receipt of substantial allowances.

“The Government must be consistent and even-handed on November 24. If MLAs salaries and office cost allowances are to be cut based on the (British) government rationale that MLAs cannot be paid for not exercising their elected legislative duties, then surely common sense dictates that Sinn Féin MPs, who unlike MLAs find themselves in a similar situation through ’principled’ choice, must have their allowances cut too.”

A whole tier of political representation was about to be lost in the North if no agreement was made by November 24, he said, and the government had to be fair.

“It would be hypocritical and inconsistent for government to punish one group of democratically elected politicians for not performing legislative functions while actively funding another party whose members steadfastly refuse to participate in basic parliamentary activity,” said Mr Copeland.

A renewed drive to reach a political agreement by the November deadline will be launched in September but there has been scant indication so far that it will be successful.

Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party continues to refuse entering government with Sinn Féin until it is satisfied the republican movement has totally turned its back on paramilitarism .