Statement by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston:
“Back in April I established that since the restoration of the Executive £60,675.40 has been spent on photographers by government departments excluding the Executive Office. Now, three months after they should have answered the question, the First Minister and deputy First Minister have finally disclosed how much public money has been spent on photographers since the Executive was restored.
“We now know that between 3rd February 2024 and 2nd February 2025, £21,219.85 was spent by Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly.
“That’s more than £1,700 every month.
“Over £440 every week.
“On photographers.
“In just one department.
“It is frankly shameful. While Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly take turns attacking the so-called lack of funding from London, their own department has been spending hundreds of pounds each week on staged photoshoots.
“The total bill run up by the Executive on photographers in its first 12 months is an eyewatering £81,895.25. A full quarter of that bill was run up by Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly.
“This is an Executive that always finds money for vanity — but never for public services.
“This answer tells you everything you need to know about Stormont:
“A three-month delay.
“A staggering waste of public money.
“And the clearest proof yet that when it comes to Stormont, photographs come before performance.
“From now on, when the public see one of the many smiling photos of the First and deputy First Ministers they will know that they paid handsomely for it.”
The full list of questions and answers on spend on photography by the Executive is online here.