Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“I note two replies from the Assembly Commission to Questions I asked as to their follow up to the BBC Spotlight expose of an expenses scandal (Qs & As below).
“In proclaiming that the Assembly contacted the PSNI before the Spotlight programme was broadcast, I believe the whole truth is not being told. Rather, I suspect such contact was only made after the programme drew matters to the Speaker and Assembly’s attention. Accordingly, I am tabling these further Questions:-
1. “To ask Assembly Commission, further to the response to AQW 45955/11-15, a) on what date did the BBC Spotlight programme alert the Assembly and/or The Speaker to their allegations; and b) on what date did the Assembly authorities contact the PSNI in respect of the two referrals referred to in the earlier response.
2. “To ask Assembly Commission, further to the response to AQW 45995/11-15, given that the internal investigations have been completed has the outcome thereof and any relevant information been conveyed to the PSNI.”
“If it took a BBC investigation to alert the authorities to what was going on, then, it suggests to me someone was asleep at the wheel.
“Given the public interest dimension to this matter, I am also calling on the PSNI to give a public update on the state of their investigations.”
Note to editors
Mr Allister’s questions and the answers received were as follows:
To ask the Assembly Commission for (i) an update of its response to the BBC Spotlight programme of 18 November 2014 on the subject of abuse of MLA’s expenses and (ii) to detail any actions taken.
In advance of the broadcast of the two BBC Spotlight programmes, the Assembly Commission’s Accounting Officer initiated two investigations under the Assembly’s Bribery and Fraud Response Plan and made two referrals to the PSNI. The internal aspects of these investigations are complete, however the PSNI’s investigations are continuing.
The Commission also considered the content of the two BBC Spotlight programmes. In response to the internal investigations and following the review of the programmes, further enhancements to the controls in place for MLAs’ expenses have been made. It was agreed that any further recommendations arising from the PSNI investigations would be considered in due course.
Actions taken include enhanced checks to verify original MLA signatures for every claim, a revision to the Bribery and Fraud Response Plan to explicitly include all payments to MLAs, the use of trend analyses of MLAs’ expenditure to identify unusual or abnormal transactions, amending travel claims to include a declaration regarding business insurance cover and issuing regular reminders to MLAs regarding the importance of reviewing monthly expenditure reports.
To ask the Assembly Commission pursuant of AQW 39653/11-15 to provide an update on whether there have been any referrals to the PSNI, arising from the BBC Spotlight programme of 18 November 2014.
The Assembly’s Accounting Officer made two referrals to the PSNI under the Assembly’s Fraud and Bribery response plan in advance of the broadcast of the two BBC Spotlight programmes. It is not appropriate for the Assembly Commission to comment on the detail or nature of these on-going PSNI investigations.
The Commission considered the content of the BBC Spotlight programmes in detail and no further referrals to the PSNI were made as a result of these considerations.