The TUV leader Jim Allister, who successfully piloted a Special Advisers Bill through the Assembly to remove convicts as SPADs, has drafted a further Bill to reduce the number of SPADs, cut their salaries and ensure they are subject to Civil Service disciplinary processes.

The move follows unease over the Stormont Executive’s spend on Special Advisers and the fact that the DSD minister was able to intervene to save Stephen Brimstone from disciplinary action over the Redsky affair and his treatment of Cllr Jenny Palmer.

Northern Ireland employs significantly more Special Advisers than the other devolved institutions – with the Joint First Ministers employing as many as the entire Welsh government, and pays them more, with all now in the Band B pay bracket, which can exceed £90,000 pa.

The average annual cost of Stormont SpAds is over £100,000 each, while in Wales each costs under £60,000 pa.

Country. Total SpAds. Cost 2013/14 Average cost per SpAd

NI 19 £1,967,240 £103,538.95

Scotland. 14 £1,022,396 £73,029.00

Wales. 8 £468,468 £58,558.50

Mr Allister’s Bill would reduce the number of SpAds in OFMDFM from 8 to 4, would link their salaries to the senior civil service pay band for Assistant Secretaries (Grade 5) and, as SpAds are classified as civil servants, subject them to the prevailing Civil Service disciplinary processes.

Commenting Jim Allister said, “The cost and number of Special Advisers at Stormont has got out of hand. In this time of austerity they are a disproportionate drain on public resources. This needs to be addressed, along with the disciplinary deficit, as illustrated by the rescue of Stephen Brimstone from any discipline by his minister. My Bill addresses all these issues and brings much needed control to a publicly funded sector which is out of control.”

A public consultation on the TUV proposal will be held over the next 9 weeks, with a view to introduction of the Bill in September.

The full consultation document and the terms of the Bill are online here.