Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have awarded themselves a pay rise but rejected what some parties called a "pre-Christmas bonus".
The Assembly rejected a motion calling for the increases to be backdated to May 29th, 2000, when the Assembly had resumed after a three-month suspension. This would have given members a lump sum of about £500.
MLAs accepted an amendment from the Alliance Party that the pay increases should take effect from yesterday, therefore depriving themselves of what Sinn Fein had described as a "pre-Christmas bonus".
Members now command salaries ranging from £39,139stg for an MLA to £105,312 for the First and Deputy First Ministers.
Proposing the original motion, the chairman of the Assembly Commission, the Rev Robert Coulter, rejected press criticism of the pay increase as "grossly inaccurate".
He said the proposed rise of 2.9 per cent was below the rate of inflation, at 3.2 per cent, and compared favourably with the average rise of 3.4 per cent in public-sector salaries.
Proposing that the increases should take effect from December 19th, Mr David Ford of Alliance said the Assembly was just beginning to fulfil its functions.
"The realistic position is that the people of Northern Ireland do not yet believe we have done the work we are here to do," he said.
Proposing an amendment that the pay rise should apply from March 31st, 2001, Mr Conor Murphy of Sinn Fein accused the other parties of having attempted to distance themselves from the pay increases when the "media spotlight" began to shine on the issue.
The UK Unionist member Mr Robert McCartney QC, who opposed a salary increase last December, said he was totally out of sympathy with the awarding of any increase.
The Alliance amendment was carried by acclamation, and the Assembly adjourned until January.