Westminster committee calls for double-jobbing ban on NI MPs

The British Government should ban Northern Ireland MPs from taking seats at Stormont, a Westminster committee has said.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life hit out at double-jobbing by Assembly politicians in its annual report.

It had previously called on parties to voluntarily stop their elected representatives from holding dual mandates, but the committee found that the parties seem “unwilling or unable” to do so.

The Government has already said it hoped to end double jobbing by agreement with the parties, but said that it will bring in legislation if necessary ahead of the next Assembly elections in 2015.

The committee said it had earlier called for the end of dual mandates at Westminster by 2011, prior to which 16 of the 18 Northern Ireland MPs also held Assembly seats.

“Following the publication of our report, a number of dual mandate MPs indicated that they would either give up their seat if elected to Westminster in May 2010 or not stand for re-election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011,” the committee’s report said.

“But there are still nine Northern Ireland MPs, 50%, who have dual mandates, two of whom are also ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.

“The Committee continues to question whether it is possible to sit in two national legislatures simultaneously and do justice to both roles, particularly if the MP concerned holds a ministerial position.”

It added: “The political parties in Northern Ireland appear unwilling or unable to end dual mandates on a voluntary basis. We believe the Government should introduce legislation to bring the practice to an end by the time of the next Northern Ireland Assembly elections due in May 2015.”

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is the largest Northern Ireland party at Westminster with nine MPs. After a number of senior figures stepped down from Assembly politics, the party now has two MPs at Stormont.

Democratic Unionist Gregory Campbell holds seats in both Houses, while his party colleague Sammy Wilson is also a Stormont Minister.

All of Sinn Féin’s five MPs also hold Assembly seats, but the party said it is committed to ending dual mandates by 2015.

The SDLP’s Alasdair McDonnell is an MP and an MLA for South Belfast, but outgoing party leader Margaret Ritchie has said she is to leave her Stormont seat and concentrate on representing South Down at Westminster.

The Alliance Party’s East Belfast MP, Naomi Long, has already left the Assembly.