Ulster Unionist MLA and Finance spokesperson, Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA said, after the debate,

“The people of Northern Ireland are rightly bemused by the antics of politics at Stormont. Whether it is in cutting the health budget by 2.3% whilst pretending it's being increased, or in wiping phones after being specifically being told not to, confidence has been undermined. 

“To add to that today, we discovered during the FAPP ( Financial Assistance for Political Parties ) debate, that the three largest political parties have awarded themselves an extra £230K. Sinn Fein has awarded itself an extra £100K, the DUP an extra £85K and the Alliance party, digging into the same trough, £45K.  

“The ‘formulae’ that they rammed through the Assembly is designed to ensure that the smaller parties, including the UUP, PBP and TUV, get no increase whatsoever – with a vague promise that in future ‘rises’ will be in line with CPI - meanwhile the big three pocket the almost a quarter of a million pounds extra.  Rather than openness and transparency and a commitment to equitable government, this is just shameless opportunism by those parties who preach ‘collective responsibility’ in the Executive, then trouser the extra funds for themselves”.