An answer to a Question from TUV leader Jim Allister has revealed that Stormont MLAs are chewing more publicly funded mints than ever before. Demand for the free mints has risen by over 50% in the past year, taking the cost to the public purse, since the practice began, to £1386.55.0
Question:
To ask the Assembly Commission to detail the (i) cost; and (ii) quantity of the mints provided in the Assembly chamber in each financial year since April 2009.
Answer:
From April 2009 to March 2014, 2,530 rolls of mints have been provided in the Assembly Chamber at a total cost of £1,386.55. The annual consumption per financial year is illustrated in the table below:
Period. Quantity (rolls). Cost
Apr 09
Mar 10. 524. £288.20
Apr 10
Mar 11. 445. £244.75
Apr 11
Mar 12. 493. £271.15
Apr 12
Mar 13. 418. £224.95
Apr 13
Mar 14. 650. £357.50
Total Consumption 2,530. £1,386.55
Believing the practice demeans the Assembly, Jim Allister commented,
“Uniquely among legislatures, the Stormont Assembly provides free mints at the Speaker’s table to sustain our MLAs. Though MLAs are on £48,000 pa and ministers on over £80,000 pa, it is clearly too much to expect them to buy their own mints, so the taxpayer provides them instead! Indeed some MLAs sometimes seem more interested in the mints than in the proceedings. One has even been observed entering the chamber specifically to load up on mints and then immediately leaving without even sitting down. Little wonder Stormont is held in contempt by so many.”