To ask the Assembly Commission for an update on the impact the increase to the rate of employer National Insurance contributions will have on constituency staff budgets.

Members are able to recover the costs of their support staff salaries under the provisions of the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016, within the annual maximum allowance.

However, ancillary employment costs such as employer’s national insurance contributions, pension contributions and statutory redundancy payments are not charged against these allowances, but are met centrally by the Assembly Commission.

Therefore, increases to employer’s national insurance will have no impact on constituency staff budgets.