'No reason' behind quango payment

Felicity Houston said she could not find "any mechanism" for quango payments

There is no "rhyme or reason" to explain how part-time chairmen of quangos are paid, the Commissioner for Public Appointments has said.

Felicity Huston said she was unable to find "any particular mechanism" to explain why some received no payment while others got around £40,000 a year.

There are 100 organisations which are overseen by boards, or quangos. They report to the 11 Stormont departments.

They include the boards of the Housing Executive and Invest NI.

"Each department does set their own amounts," said Mrs Huston, who oversees the appointments to the boards.

"From having talked to departments, all 11 of them in different times, there's no rhyme nor reason that I can find for how they set the remuneration."

The Department of Finance and Personnel told the BBC that there was no centrally determined pay policy.