Assembly staff have been redeployed to other legislatures following the collapse of devolution at Stormont. Picture from Paul Faith/PA Wire

STAFF who work for the Assembly are being seconded to other legislatures - including the Dáil - in the absence of power-sharing.

Employees have been redeployed to work for the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament and the Houses of the Oireachtas in Dublin.

The Assembly Commission, which oversees the administrative running of Stormont, has said it is continuing to pay the salaries of the staff involved. The number of staff affected is equivalent to 11 full-time employees.

The Commission said that the "majority of the work" is carried out in Parliament Buildings at Stormont, and that the redeployed staff can be recalled "immediately" if devolution returns.

The details were revealed in response to an Assembly question by TUV leader and North Antrim MLA Jim Allister.

Mr Allister said: "People in Northern Ireland are entitled to ask why in such circumstances the salaries of redeployed staff continue to be paid from the Northern Ireland block grant.

"In the case of staff who have been deployed to work for Dublin in a foreign parliament the questions are more profound. UK taxpayers' money should not be spent to aid the running of a non-UK administration," he added.

A Commission spokesperson said there were "no formal secondment arrangements" but added: "The Commission has utilised its contacts in other legislatures to seek to maintain the skills and experience of its staff during the period when the Assembly has not been fully functioning through a process of redeployment."

Last month The Irish News revealed that more than 160 staff at Stormont have been temporarily redeployed to other roles.