Seán Rogers
South Down · Social Democratic and Labour Party · Northern Ireland
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at Final Stage. Coming from South Down, which has ports such as Kilkeel, Ardglass and the neighbouring port of Portavogie, I think that we should not underestimate the importance of the fishing industry, not alone for those areas but for the wider agrifood industry and our economy in general.”
“It quickly became apparent that the Committee did not have the full authority to interrogate the Bill and, due to that, there would be no time to scrutinise the Bill in its entirety.”
“<BR /> <BR />The issues that the Bill initially tried to tackle that could not be tackled due to time constraints and relevant Committee remits still affect our current practices.”
“<BR /> <BR />Finally, regardless of what the Fisheries Bill initially intended, or what it finally became, it will still deliver a better outcome for Northern Ireland at the end of this mandate. In the end, it may not be the catch of the day, but it is a good supper.”
“Maybe that is a model for us today. <BR /> <BR />Reference has been made to the work of the AERC, its various visits and work on women in politics. The key message for me, whether it is the Assembly or local government, is that we need to be a lot more family friendly, not just for the women but for the men as well.”
“They have made a major contribution to building bridges in this land. <BR /> <BR />On a day like this — the Member opposite spoke about this as well — we have to think of women who are suffering today. We think of the women in Nigeria who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, or in refugee camps in Syria, Calais or wherever.”
The complete record
Every one of 523 lines we hold for Seán Rogers, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 11.
“That would allow the colleges to pool resources while keeping their unique identity. The SDLP will continue to support shared education, but we will not support the forced secularisation that the loss of St Mary's may eventually lead to. St Mary's has a clear mission to make a distinctive contribution of service and excellence to Catholic tradition in higher education. The college has a distinctive Catholic and Irish identity, and, where Catholic higher education is found throughout the world, it seeks to integrate intellectual, personal, ethical and religious formation to unite high academic achievement with service to others. St Mary's requires the autonomy to deliver that mission, but the Minister's proposal is a direct attack on it.”
“We talk about Tory cuts; here we have a Minister with worse than Tory cuts. I find myself, once again, dismayed at the Minister's recent decision and what could be perceived as the Alliance Party's apparent anti-Catholic education agenda. Certainly, none of the current proposals allows for St Mary's to retain its current autonomy or unique character. I am very wary; perhaps the Minister's aims for the college are for it to be absorbed into other institutions to streamline teacher training across the North, even to the North's detriment. <BR /> <BR />The SDLP supports the principle of shared education, and I have spoken in the Chamber on our support for it. There is already a level of cooperation between St Mary's and Stranmillis. I would be keen to see that expanded through a more collaborative partnership model.”
“The debate comes at a suitable time: across Ireland, schools are celebrating Catholic Schools Week. The particular theme of Catholic Schools Week is that we are called to serve. Education is a platform from which we are all called to serve, whether we are teachers, parents or students. <BR /> <BR />I voice my exasperation at the scale of the cuts set to devastate St Mary's University College and my deep concern over Minister Farry's removal of the £1·1 million in special funding premia from the institution. I do not need to give anybody a history lesson, but the premium fund exists to recognise the importance of small specialist colleges such as St Mary's, which provides the highest-quality education training in a specific Catholic ethos. The Tories have allowed premia for similar colleges in England.”
“— for education that makes our children's education the priority.”
“Finally, the Education Authority offers us a real opportunity to slash wastage. I hear what the Minister said: we have to do more for less. I think that everybody is up for doing more for less, and I trust that the Minister of Education is up for doing more for less, will not squander funds and can account for every penny. We need a long-term strategic plan —”
“An education is never a waste of money. Our young people will be in a much more secure position in times of austerity if they are equipped with a good education. The SDLP made clear the inherent contradiction in the draft Budget — additional funds for DETI while the budgets of DE and DEL were slashed. The Northern Ireland economy will not flourish without a pool of highly qualified and skilled young people who are ready to work. Investment in our young people is an investment in our economy.”
“We all remember the mess in the scheme in education last year where teachers who believed they were retiring had to go back to work in September. <BR /> <BR />Schools were already on a slippery slope, and the draft Budget would have caused them to collapse. Our schools simply cannot cut any more without that detrimentally impacting on our children's education. It will not only damage each child's educational prospects but will have a knock-on effect on our economy, which is already in the midst of a skills deficit.”
“It goes on. <BR /> <BR />Paul Girvan made a comment, which I think was very valid, on the voluntary exit scheme:”
“The 1,000 teachers and 1,500 classroom assistants who were told that they might lose their job have not been told otherwise. Schools have agreed a three-year budget plan to which they will match a school development plan, but here we are at the end of January with two months left in this financial year and schools have no idea of their budget for next year. Before Christmas, the draft education budget sent shock waves through educational establishments. Can schools rely any more on the three-year budget plan? One school principal said to me in correspondence:”
“Therefore, it is with caution that I welcome the additional allocation of £63 million to the Department of Education. Unlike allocations to other Departments, the Minister of Finance and Personnel did not ring-fence the additional spending. It has been a week since the final Budget was announced, and the Education Minister has yet to guarantee that even the majority of this money will go to front-line services. That would be worrying from any Minister, but it is particularly so from one who has proposed to cut the aggregated schools budget by £87 million, to cut the entitlement framework by 29% and to take a meagre £3 million from his departmental expenditure. <BR /> <BR />School principals have been given no clarity on the situation that faces them in April.”
“I do not think that there is a strategic plan for health or education. While Simon Stevens, a National Health Service chief, pushes for the decentralisation of services to cottage hospitals, we have a Health Minister who is bent on the centralisation of services. We are not prepared to look at good practice models in the other parts of the EU where decentralisation works. <BR /> <BR />I will begin my remarks on education by commending the thousands of young people, teachers and parents who made the case for education so well in the lead-up to Christmas. Providing our children and young people with a quality education makes sense for our society and economy. For young people to be fully prepared to enter the workforce or to progress to further or higher education, as much money and resources as possible must go to the classroom.”
“As a first-year student at St Mary's University College, will I be able to finish my degree there? Will I be able to pay the increase in rates and keep in business? Where will I store 14 freezer meals? As a farmer, how will I make ends meet after the drop in the price of milk? Those are maybe just some of the questions that they could ask. <BR /> <BR />I commend the Ulster Unionists and Alliance, which recognised Mark H Durkan's good sense and decided to exercise their vote on the final Budget. While Sinn Féin and the DUP pushed this Budget through, it is vital that the people who will be affected by the cuts know that they have a voice in the Executive. <BR /> <BR />My colleagues spoke about the impact on health in particular. One little thing comes to mind. John McCallister talked about the failure to implement a strategic plan.”
“I too have a quotation: after the Government takes enough time to balance the budget, the public has the job of budgeting the balance. That is what it really comes down to. While this might be an interesting debate and there is a bit of point-scoring going on from court to court and even in the same court of Mid Ulster at times, it comes down to how this affects our constituents and the questions that they might ask. Will I be safe in my own home? Will I get medical care when I need it? Could I lose out on some of my benefits? Will I lose my house if I cannot keep making the mortgage payments? Will I get a job? Will my child get the necessary early intervention to address their special educational needs? As a classroom assistant, will I have a job next September? As a health worker, will I get my 1% pay rise?”
“Thanks, Minister, for your statement. How will patients, service users and relatives discover whether there has been a never event, particularly as we do not have a list of never events, other than by going down the legal route?”
“I outlined at the beginning where I saw the failures in the motion. I do not intend going back there now. <BR /> <BR />St Patrick's was mentioned as well. It is important to acknowledge the quality provision in its Irish-medium unit and understand why it has concerns. If one thing is to come out of the debate today, it is that all providers of Irish-medium education should, even at this late stage, come to some agreement on a way forward that meets the needs of all the young people who want to be educated through Irish and the needs of the whole community.”
“Thanks. The Member put his point very well. It is politicising not only the Irish language but our children in terms of Irish-medium education. Very well put, Mr Dallat.”
“For parents to make the right decision, they must be given a variety of options to enable them to find the best match for their child. Parental preference is key, and that is why the SDLP fought hard for Irish-medium, integrated, voluntary and controlled grammars to be guaranteed seats on the new Education Authority. <BR /> <BR />When we talk about Irish-medium education, we talk about parents who would like their children to be educated through total immersion in Irish post-primary. Total immersion is an important point as the preferred model is a stand-alone system. That is also the case in Wales.”
“When the DUP talks about statutory advantage, I can only assume that the context is Irish-medium education. It seems that the DUP wants to undo the statutory duty prescribed in the Good Friday Agreement by which the Department of Education must encourage and facilitate Irish-medium education. <BR /> <BR />A quality education for each and every child is important. It benefits the society they live in and our wider economy. Whether in a faith-based school, an integrated school or an Irish-medium school, an excellent education that inspires our children and equips them for adult life should be the priority for every Member. Each child's needs and passions vary, and parents and young people are faced with determining which school will best suit their needs.”
“I oppose the motion and the amendment. I do not believe that the motion accurately reflects the current situation. I fail to understand why the support of Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta for the development proposal has been left out of the motion, given that it is the very organisation charged with advising the Minister on Irish-medium education. The Member who spoke previously talked about the North Eastern Education and Library Board and the Western Education and Library Board, and my thoughts are similar. Mr Kinahan talked about the ETI. However, when you read the ETI's response, it is difficult to ascertain whether it is for or against it. In the motion, there is no mention whatsoever of St Patrick's concerns. <BR /> <BR />On the amendment, I get a bit concerned when I hear a Member talking about apartheid when speaking about education.”
“Minister, focusing on the health and social care aspect of it, do you believe that the enhancement of services at our GP surgeries and out-of-hours facilities will help to alleviate some of the pressures on our front-line services?”
“As the new chief executive of the National Health Service said recently, there is a place for smaller hospitals and a shift away from the bigger central hospitals. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I urge the Minister, if he will not listen to Members of the House, he needs to listen to the people of South Down and the many groups, such as the Ulster Farmers' Union, which felt the need to become more vocal —”
“In recent correspondence with my colleague Margaret Ritchie MP, the trust made it known that the decision to remove coronary care beds was due to a drop in admissions — a drop in admissions that was itself due to the fact that patients were being diverted elsewhere. Furthermore, at the same time as cutting access to local services, worrying cases — my colleagues talked about them — are surfacing of access to the Ambulance Service. Quite simply, centralisation does not work. There is a place for local services and local hospitals.”
“The 10-bed medical unit was closed around the time it officially opened. Accident and emergency changed from consultant-led at night-time to a GP out-of-hours service. There was the seasonal closure of medical beds, with a 25% reduction over the summer, the temporary removal of nine beds from coronary care, a reduction in domiciliary care, and now, to make things even worse, there is the introduction of car parking charges. Such is the level of cuts at the Downe that the Ambulance Service now takes many patients directly to the Ulster Hospital. <BR /> <BR />This drastic reduction in services has led to an inevitable reduction in the number of patients presenting at the Downe.”
“Daisy Hill's stroke and rehabilitation unit has, to date, returned excellent results for stroke victims, as we have heard from other people. The decision to remove stroke services from Daisy Hill is simply a bad one. <BR /> <BR />I understand that a very small number of patients may require non-urgent access to an MRI scanner, which cannot be facilitated at Daisy Hill, and they have to be moved to Craigavon. I understand that side of it. With the added value of telemedicine, I have yet to hear a valid reason why stroke services in the form of the specialised stroke unit in Daisy Hill cannot be maintained there. <BR /> <BR />It has been a litany of downsizing at the Downe Hospital ever since it opened in 2009. The planned short stay unit never materialised following the new build.”
“At this stage, I would like to commend the staff in both of our hospitals and wish Mairead McAlinden all the best in her new role in the South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. <BR /> <BR />Patients who rely on services at Daisy Hill and Downe are being denied access to vital care. South Down constituents are now possibly the most disadvantaged citizens in Northern Ireland when it comes to accessing hospital services. It is quite ironic that the Minister represents that constituency as well. We have heard a lot about stroke services at Daisy Hill. The key point that I want to add is the importance of time when it comes to suffering a stroke. Getting to hospital and getting sorted is of key importance.”
“The debate on local National Health Service services is being brought to the House when significant change is taking place at every level. The worrying reports of EU and US trade agreements, transatlantic trade and investment partnerships make us believe that possible privatisation of the health service is under way. Meanwhile, closer to home, the closure of many critical services such as the A&E at the Downe Hospital and the removal of stroke services from Daisy Hill serve as indicators of the direction of travel that the health service is taking. <BR /> <BR />Patients who are unable to secure appointments via GP surgeries are presenting at already overstretched A&E departments. Cost savings in one department are leading to chaos in others.”
“Following on from that, the 20% year-on-year cut to the cod TAC is really limiting the availability of scientific information and making a nonsense of the cod recovery plan. I acknowledge your attempts, along with Simon Coveney, to get a 20 ton cod quota, but what representations have you made since the Fisheries Council meeting to ensure that we have sustainable management of cod stocks in the future?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement and welcome the Hunter review. One of the major inhibiting factors to the development of tourism, particularly in south Down but also right across, is the VAT rate here compared with that in the South. What discussions have you had with the Treasury about getting a more competitive VAT rate for our hospitality and tourism industry?”
“He would have to send the children home and a day's learning would be lost, whereas, if he were able to procure the services of a local plumber, the problem would be fixed in a couple of hours at a fraction of the cost, and learning would go on as usual. I urge Members to check with their schools: they will be shocked at what it costs to carry out school maintenance through the boards' procurement services. <BR /> <BR />Finally, creative and strategic investment in education is investment in children, society and the wider economy.”
“Devolving budgetary autonomy to school principals with a proven record of sound financial management will enhance schools' abilities to achieve the best possible education outcomes through financial and time-saving methods while boosting the local economy. <BR /> <BR />I think that some people did not understand what I was talking about last week. Let me explain it with one simple example. Let us take a morning like this morning. The principal arrives to a burst pipe. Currently, he has to go through the education and library board's procurement services. It is unlikely that they would have that repaired on the same day.”
“<BR /> <BR />Like other people in the Chamber today, I welcome the extra £80 million for the aggregated schools budget and the increases for early years and the Youth Service. However, let us not forget about the entitlement framework funding. The educational attainment gap between our children and young people and their global counterparts will widen without significant investment in the classroom. The new Education Authority is an ideal opportunity to overhaul inertia and flawed assumptions. The Minister must endeavour to eradicate duplication and significantly reduce wastage with the amalgamation of the five education and library boards. Extra funds must not be idled away.”
“It is not good enough that it takes six or nine months or even longer to diagnose a child with special educational needs. We need our core public services of health and education working more closely together. <BR /> <BR />Northern Ireland's unique legacy has left us with rates of socio-economic deprivation that are higher than those of our counterparts across the water or in the South. We know that education is one of the chief routes out of poverty. As my parents would have said many times, "A little bit of education is easily carried". Education provides the foundation stones for an individual's life, as well as those for the society and economy in which we live. Without it, the poverty cycle is perpetuated.”
“<BR /> <BR />When I was thinking about core public services, I asked, "What is our core purpose? Why are we here anyway? Why do we work, or why do we like to work?". I suppose that, even if we won the lotto, many of us would still continue working, because it is about personal fulfilment, providing for our families and having a decent standard of living. "Jobs" and "the economy" are words that are on everybody's lips. However, to have that, the jobs must be here. Most importantly, our young people must have the right skills. It is a major concern that almost one third of our young people at 16 still have not got the basic level of numeracy and literacy. As we all know, you cannot fix that at 16; there needs to be help and support from when a child begins its learning journey.”
“I support the SDLP amendment. I note the motion's praise of Executive parties, but I also commend the members of the public who have expressed their concerns about public services, whether it be the dilution of our health services or, most recently, education. These are the people who deal with the practical and sometimes devastating implications of cuts, and their experience and insights are invaluable. <BR /> <BR />The Executive's lack of definition of core public services leads to situations like the one we faced with the draft Budget, with Ministers claiming they wanted to protect front-line services while protecting their own departmental administration budgets. Defining what is understood as core public services makes the Executive more accountable, more transparent and, I hope, more effective.”
“Thanks for your answer, Minister. How easy is it for councils and local providers to customise the Department's programmes to suit very localised needs?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I have this one question: how can we maintain a quality learning environment in the classroom if we are to lose 1,000 teachers and 1,500 classroom assistants? That is the big question.”
“Minister, as we were told last Thursday in Ballymena, we need to focus, and our education budget has to target educational need.”
“Devolving maximum budget autonomy to schools with proven records of sound financial management allows principals to draw on local knowledge and experience to make the best decision for each and every one of their children. When I asked a large group of principals in Ballymena last Thursday whether they wanted greater budget autonomy, the answer was a resounding yes. <BR /> <BR />The Minister of Education must take heed of the warnings issued so well by the sector, by schools and by parents. Any budget that does not prioritise classroom practice does not have our society or our economy as its priority. I urge the House to support the SDLP amendment to ensure maximum autonomy for the delegation of the education budget.”
“In the current system, school principals have to go through the education and library board to procure suppliers, regardless of whether they can procure them locally, more cheaply and more quickly themselves. Where is the economics of a school in my area having a plumbing problem, and the plumber eventually came from Castlebar? <BR /> <BR />Principals who have demonstrated sound financial management skills could play a key role in achieving the highest quality education outcomes whilst opting for the most cost- and time-effective options. If schools had the option of buying in professional development for their staff, they would ensure that it was value for money and would meet the needs of all their staff.”
“The cuts to education are all the more insulting after seven years and almost £17 million wasted on the defunct ESA Bill. It is thus imperative that the new Education Authority prioritises an efficient and cost-effective strategy and eliminates duplication. <BR /> <BR />The draft Budget proposes that only 58·1% of the total education funding goes directly to schools, while the figure is nearly 80% in England. How is that protecting classroom practice? One key way in which the Department could reduce waste and achieve the best value for money would be to review the process in place for the procurement of goods and services in the sector, which is financially and temporally inefficient at present.”
“Those are the real front-line services that Ministers should focus on. <BR /> <BR />Education is the chief opponent of poverty. The children's charity Barnardo's indicated that approximately 100,000 children in the North were living in poverty in 2012, and that figure is expected to increase in the coming years. Another report, by Save the Children, predicts that 38% of children in Northern Ireland will be living in relative poverty by 2020. Neglecting our education sector will exacerbate that and make the fight against poverty all the more difficult. A failure to invest in education is a failure to invest in the future of our young people.”
“<BR />I have spoken to many principals, teachers and parents in the past number of weeks, and their anxiety is palpable. They simply cannot understand how schools can cut back any more without sacrificing the quality of education that they deliver. Schools face the prospect of redundancies, which threatens the quality and range of subjects that our children can be taught. <BR /> <BR />A guarantee from the Minister that he will protect the classroom is not sufficient. Staff, parents and young people need an assurance that best classroom practice will be protected. That means acceptable class sizes with suitable pupil:teacher ratios, the right level of support for children with special educational needs and a good pool of well-trained and adequately supported teachers and support staff.”
“<BR /> <BR />Unless the Department urgently re-evaluates its priorities and strategies, schools in Northern Ireland face a bleak and volatile future for a number of years. That will be to the detriment of society, with a generation of young people not receiving the highest quality education that our teachers can provide. <BR /> <BR />The concern and apprehension that was triggered by the draft budget was well publicised in the run-up to Christmas. No one can plead ignorance of the consequences that the cuts will have. The implications are clear: job losses; increased pupil:teacher ratios; less support for children with special education needs; and a substantial reduction in the resources that our children and young people need to thrive personally and academically.”
“That amounts to 9%, but a reduction of about 29% to the entitlement framework budget. <BR /> <BR />I was shocked to learn in an answer to a recent question for written answer that, on average, departmental administration has cost £18·4 million per year over the last five years. The SDLP tabled an amendment to the motion to reflect the views of our schools. The extremely challenging financial environment that schools face is not exclusive to 2015-16. As Mr Allister said during Question Time, when a child starts their study at GCSE or A level, it is a two-year commitment. Schools are also expected to have a three-year budget plan. When a child begins P1, there is a seven-year commitment.”
“Youth work makes a significant contribution to the development of our young people, not least by keeping them engaged in the learning process. The disproportionate cut to the Youth Service's budget will drastically reduce the capacity of the youth sector to tackle underachievement. <BR /> <BR />In agriculture, we talk about the route from field to fork. In education, the fertile field is the classroom experience, where our teachers and other professionals create a stimulating learning environment. Surely, in times of austerity, and like in other jurisdictions, that must be protected. <BR /> <BR />The Minister's priorities must be questioned, given that he has proposed to cut the aggregated schools budget by £87 million, while taking just £3 million away from departmental administration.”
“Our schools have been subject to increasing budgetary pressures and substantial reductions in grant aid over the past number of years. First, I wish to commend the staff and parents who have supported our young people at a time when schools have been pushed to the limits. I have seen their tireless support first-hand, and it really is invaluable. Unfortunately, that support has not been reflected in the Department of Education's funding to schools, which has fallen by 4·2% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15, while there has been a 3·6% rise in the departmental administration budget during the same period. <BR /> <BR />Education forms the building blocks of our society and economy, and our schools simply cannot withstand any more cuts. As Mr Maginness said during Question Time, the education budget also funds our Youth Service.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate that was tabled by the Members opposite. I particularly welcome the opportunity to speak on amendment No 1, which has been tabled by the SDLP.”
“Previously, Minister, small schools had some budgetary protection, but, in this draft budget, smaller rural schools will be adversely affected. How do you intend to address this issue?”
“I thank the Minister for that detailed answer and welcome what she has said. Is there any change in staffing planned in the libraries that got the self-service kiosks?”
“I thank the Minister for her answers thus far. Will the Department give an assurance that it will consult and cooperate with councils before making any forestry franchises, particularly because the councils have spent quite a bit of money in putting business cases forward for such facilities?”