Michelle McIlveen
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Public confidence depends not only on effective enforcement but on enforcement being exercised fairly and consistently. <BR /> <BR />There is widespread concern across Northern Ireland about the condition of many of our lakes and rivers, and there are a vast number of factors that contribute to water quality challenges.”
“Although we support the overall direction of travel, I think that is appropriate to reflect on the concerns that have been raised and ensure that the legislation is proportionate, practical and capable of delivering its intended outcomes.”
“If we are therefore serious about improving our aquatic environment, every source of pollution must be addressed. New legislative powers are meaningful only if the Department has the resources, the expertise and the personnel necessary to implement them effectively.”
“There is, however, a need for accompanying clear guidance and support and for regulatory consistency and prompt decision-making. Delays, uncertainty and excessive bureaucracy will undoubtedly discourage investment and undermine confidence in the sector.”
“Subordinate legislation should not become a substitute for proper democratic accountability. Consultation and engagement must be undertaken before regulations are introduced, and I cannot overstate the need for stakeholder engagement. <BR /> <BR />I will now talk about the Bill's proposed enforcement powers.”
“The DUP broadly welcomes the Bill. As has been said, it provides an opportunity to modernise legislation that, in some areas, has remained largely unchanged for decades. The Bill strengthens the protection of our fisheries, improves the regulatory framework for aquaculture and enhances the management of our water environment.”
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“I thank the Member for his question. As he is aware, the Executive have agreed to undertake an independent review of education, with a focus on securing greater efficiency in the cost of delivery, on raising standards, on providing access to the curriculum for all pupils and on the prospect of moving towards a single education system, if one can be established. <BR /> <BR />If the private Member's Bill on integrated education is passed, it will absolutely serve to reinforce sectoral divides that the area planning process has spent many years trying to break down. Placing duties to one sector that are onerous and significant on the Department of Education will absolutely reinforce difference. The Department will have to prepare and maintain an integrated strategy and lay a report on integrated education in the Assembly.”
“So, controlled schools have high levels of children with various abilities, including special educational needs, and a mix of children, including those who are entitled to free school meals. In short, controlled schools welcome all children, regardless of faith, background or location, and they embrace children of all abilities.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Obviously, I have been a champion of the controlled sector for many years. All controlled schools are non-denominational and accept applications from children from all faiths and none. Unfortunately, they are often referred to as "Protestant schools", but that is absolutely not the case. With almost no exception, controlled schools have a high level of mixing. However, it is clear that all controlled schools reflect the demography of their local communities and serve all communities. <BR /> <BR />We have controlled non-selective schools, controlled grammar schools, controlled integrated schools and controlled Irish-medium schools, and we have controlled schools in which over 75% of the pupils are Catholic.”
“I thank the Member for her comments. I know that she has written to me and that my predecessor visited the school. I will feed that back to officials.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Although I do not have the specifics for the school, I will come back to her. Some 72 schools were involved in SEP2, and it is my understanding that the first projects will start to move on-site in the summer. I will need to come back to the Member with the detail on the particular school.”
“That should go without saying. It is a priority for us in order to ensure that schools can run as straightforwardly as possible, given the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We have to be cognisant of the fact that our young people have missed out on so much over the past couple of years. As society has opened up, we need to reflect that at school and make it much more normal for them so that they can participate in trips and so on, while doing so in a safe manner. I give that commitment. My officials and I, where I can, often meet school leaders and pupils. My door is always open.”
“Although that is not significant in the grand scheme of things, it is not insignificant either.”
“That was important for us in order to capture not only the daily issues associated with staff absences and what our response needed to be but the ongoing issues that were being flagged up so that we could be as responsive as possible. That is not to say that everyone was perfect in all of that, but it was my view that we needed to keep a close eye on schools. We needed to be in contact with them, and they needed to understand that we would be as responsive as possible. <BR /> <BR />One of the main issues was not being able to get substitute teachers. We have made good progress on that. Since our call on 21 December 2021 to retired teachers and those on a career break, I understand that in the region of 377 members of staff have joined the Northern Ireland substitute teacher register (NISTR).”
“I thank the Member for his question. It has obviously been incredibly difficult for schools over the past two years, and we have all recognised that. Efforts continue to be focused on giving support to schools, not only on a regular basis through the EA but in a responsive way on the basis of individual needs. The Member will be aware from my answer to question 1, on contact tracing and so on, that my Department meets the PHA weekly and that we have fortnightly meetings with practitioners in order to get a sense of the reality of what is going on. <BR /> <BR />As the Member will also know, during January, we had daily surveys.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I said in my initial response, I acknowledge that there is concern. I have spoken to my officials, and we are looking to give some certainty where we can regarding the budget.”
“I have agreed to my officials taking forward some budget planning to enable me to provide indicative allocations for schools and other organisations, pending the agreement of a final Budget in due course.”
“However, without further additional funding, it would have been extremely challenging for my Department to implement a range of things, including the education actions in the Northern Ireland COVID recovery plan, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act and any recommendations that will emanate from the independent review of education. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that the absence of an agreed Budget for the next financial year will be a concern to our education stakeholders. I therefore recognise the need to provide as much clarity as possible to schools, the Education Authority, other non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and relevant third-party organisations.”
“Education is facing unavoidable cost pressures and rising service demands associated with delivering statutory and policy obligations. The sector will require significantly more funding during this Budget period if we are to avoid a significant and detrimental impact on our children and young people. As I have said on many occasions, education is key to the future economic stability of our society, and we cannot afford to continue to neglect it through years of financial underfunding. <BR /> <BR />The 2022-25 draft Budget had proposed allocating an additional £162 million towards pressures that are deemed to be inescapable or pre-committed, which are currently estimated to be about £376 million.”
“I really appreciate the Member's question. When I mentioned boxing and sport, I thought that the Member would be interested in it, given that he has championed the mental health as well as the physical health benefits of participation in sport. I have to be honest that, while I was aware of the IOC's decision, the impacts that it may have were not really in my thoughts. Certainly, there are a significant number of boxing clubs in Northern Ireland that have made a great contribution not only to physical health but to being able to bring in young people who may have been disengaged and give them a focus. Obviously, that is to be welcomed. Monkstown Boxing Club is a great exemplar, and that is why I was keen to ensure that the work that it has done continues, particularly its work with Abbey Community College.”
“I agree with the Member, and I thank him for his comments. I did not quite conclude my response to Mr O'Dowd when he asked about the role of this in the independent review. It feeds into the work of the PAC in that it needs to be baselined and to be very much part of what we do. It is important that the independent review takes on board the recommendations of 'A Fair Start' because that should really be working as a template for how we move forward. I understand that the review team met the panel, so, hopefully, that work will be evidenced in the overall review.”
“The nurture programme will be extended, and, again, we are all aware of the benefits of that programme. In fact, had we the budget, the nurture programme should be a natural thing that happens in every school, in post-primary as well as primary schools. I am conscious of that, and the team and the Department are certainly conscious of it as well. As we are all aware, it is not just an education programme; it is very much a programme that requires input from Health, Communities and TEO, given that it has the oversight of that. It is very much a cross-departmental, Executive commitment. I hope that we are all as committed to it as we have said we are.”
“I thank the Member for his questions. Obviously, they are fair questions, given the criticisms in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on how money has been spent and monitored. Lessons will have been learned as a consequence of that, as you will know from your experience of being in this position. Obviously, changes were made from 2015 to how those programmes were evaluated in order to ensure really good outcomes. There is very much a focused approach to that. A considerable amount of research has gone into the plan and will go into each of the aspects of delivery. <BR /> <BR />We will look at best practice. Quite a number of the programmes will be pilot projects. Early years provision is very much a focus and has been well researched.”
“That demonstrates how important an investment like that is and the difference that it will make in communities such as Monkstown.”
“The "In Your Corner" programme is closely aligned to the actions on promoting a whole-community approach to education that were outlined by the expert panel in its report on educational underachievement. I am sure that there will be learning that we will be able to gain from Monkstown Boxing Club that will help to inform the actions flowing from the report. <BR /> <BR />I was delighted that Mary Montgomery and Jackie Redpath, two members of the 'A Fair Start' panel, were in attendance at the announcement. I was thrilled to announce the investment at Monkstown. It is important that work such as that is allowed to continue, and it should be used as an exemplar for other communities groups. What struck me most when I was there was when Paul Johnston said that the money will save lives.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I was delighted to announce my support of the work of Monkstown Boxing Club on 4 February. Since 2012, Monkstown Boxing Club has been providing education support programmes that use the power of sport and youth work to help disengaged young people to develop academic and emotional skills. <BR /> <BR />The "In Your Corner" programme is delivered alongside Abbey Community College to 10 year-11 pupils for a full academic year. It is designed to offer a flexible learning pathway by qualified teachers for pupils who struggle with the demands of full-time education in mainstream schools and employs a youth work-based approach.”
“In respect of "Maximising Boys' Potential", a new Horizon programme will, over a two-year period, produce well-skilled, qualified and experienced youth work volunteers. Those are just some examples of the 31 actions under way this year.”
“<BR /> <BR />Actions under way in "Redirecting the Focus to Early Years" include a review of Sure Start staffing, the expansion of the early years SEN inclusion service and support for children with visual impairment. In respect of "Championing Emotional Health and Well-Being", my Department is bringing forward the expansion of nurture groups two years earlier than planned, and health and social care trusts are delivering a range of interventions to support children looked after, children with English as an additional language and children with SEN. Under "Ensuring the Relevance and Appropriateness of the Curriculum and Assessment", officials are providing £1 million of digital devices to children who need them.”
“On 16 December 2021, I provided an update report to the Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly outlining the significant progress to date. The report, 'A Fair Start', is an ambitious, long-term action plan with 47 actions spread across six years and beyond. The focus of the report is very much on early years. <BR /> <BR />A programme board has been established and consists of representation from a number of Departments and arm’s-length bodies (ALBs). Senior responsible officers have been established for each of the eight key areas identified in the report. A stakeholder reference group that includes teaching union representation, schools, community groups and uniformed organisations has also been established to support the programme board in its development of the programmes and projects.”
“My officials will continue to engage with stakeholders and providers to monitor the cost of childcare and the cost of providing childcare, which we also need to bear in mind. Executive agreement will be required if significant policy decisions and actions are required within the childcare strategy, and, obviously, they will have to be part of an agreed overall Budget. Affordability needs to be key in all of this.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I am aware that affordability is frequently cited as a key issue for families when accessing childcare. It was a key theme that came out of the strategic insight lab. My Department is keen to ensure that families access all the financial support that they are entitled to with the cost of childcare. Work is ongoing with HMRC on the promotion of tax-free childcare for working parents. That UK-wide scheme provides 20% of childcare costs for parents. Up to 85% of childcare costs may be paid to parents who are currently in receipt of universal credit. <BR /> <BR />The research report on a review of childcare services in Northern Ireland will provide further insight into the cost of childcare for parents across Northern Ireland.”
“I thank the Member for her question. There is quite a conversation to be had about childcare, the offering and how it is allocated, particularly around the community and voluntary sector. That sector faces incredible challenges — different challenges — particularly in relation to its staff, the allocation of its staff and the payment of its staff. In the round, all childcare, not just one aspect of it, needs to be looked at.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The childcare strategy is critical for us moving forward. If nothing else, COVID shone a light on the need for high-quality and affordable childcare for everyone. This is incredibly important work. Obviously, it has been delayed as a consequence of COVID, but, when we get to the point of having a strategy, it will need to be costed. The House, in whatever format and whoever is in it, will need to take that seriously. I appreciate the comments that the Member has made. Certainly, that is my intent.”
“I thank the Member for his question, which is probably much more of a political point. The reality of the situation is that we are much further behind with a strategy than I would have liked. My predecessor would have liked this to have been progressed much further so that we could have had a draft strategy agreed well in advance of the end of the mandate as it was. I am not telling any lies when I say that we are not in a position to have a strategy published. The timeline looked towards the autumn of 2022, and we are not in that place. I do not think that I can be any clearer than that.”
“I thank the Member for her question. We will go through a series of processes in order to get to a draft strategy. As I outlined in my initial answer, the team was redirected to other work in the last couple of years, and, unfortunately, we are not in a position to present a draft strategy. I had hoped that we would have that completed by autumn this year, but, given the consequences of omicron and so on, that timeline will have shifted. We will certainly not be in a position to consult on the strategy at that point, and, therefore, any discussion in relation to any budget that will be required is a moot point at this stage.”
“With the emergence of the omicron variant, there has been a requirement to turn our attention again to emergency COVID-19 support funding, and that will inevitably have an impact on the pace of progress on the strategy. However, I remain committed to doing everything possible to build the case and bring forward costed options. The work that I have outlined will provide the evidence on which informed decisions can be made. Ultimately, it will be for a future Executive to agree what commitments the strategy should contain and to provide the funding to deliver them.”
“That has produced a lot of material, which we are assessing. Further focused engagement with stakeholders on key themes is also likely to be required. In addition to that, subject to available resources, we plan to commission an independent review of childcare services in Northern Ireland. That will provide evidence on a range of issues, including the cost of childcare for families, supply and demand issues and the challenges in delivering childcare. All that will be essential in informing the direction of the strategy. <BR /> <BR />We had hoped that, by this stage, the emergency schemes to support the sector through the pandemic would no longer be required and that staff resources could be focused solely on the development of the childcare strategy, but, unfortunately, that has not happened.”
“Work on the development of the Executive's childcare strategy had to be paused at the beginning of the pandemic in order to focus all our efforts on providing emergency financial support to the childcare sector. That financial support was critical to ensuring the survival of many childcare providers and to underpin economic recovery. Since April 2020, almost £40 million has been allocated to support the childcare sector. <BR /> <BR />Despite work on emergency support schemes continuing, my Department began to re-engage with stakeholders at the end of last year on what a longer-term Executive childcare strategy should address. A strategic insight programme took place between October and December 2021, which involved sessions with parents, providers and MLAs and a two-day intensive insight lab with key stakeholders.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will be aware that we have been surveying schools since the beginning of January about the impact of the omicron variant, in particular, on school attendance and so on. That will impact particularly on those whom we have a concern for as they move into their examination years. As the Member will recall, in August, we issued a guidance note to schools that very much allowed for flexibility in the use of various mitigations, and that will continue, because, as we are all aware, each school leader is more than alert to their own school community and the needs of that community. Data will be used to inform how we move forward with revised guidance. Any conversations that we have will include working closely with the Department of Health, practitioners and unions.”
“During January, provision of remote learning for individual pupils was the type of remote learning most frequently reported, and that was reported by an average of 77% of all respondents that utilised remote learning. Officials will continue to closely monitor that during February.”
“Those weekly survey findings indicate that, while COVID-19 continues to cause disruption across the system, the majority of school settings have not needed to utilise remote learning since the beginning of January. The survey findings indicate that, on average, almost 60% of those who completed the survey during January did not need to utilise remote learning. Less than 1% of all schools that completed the survey needed to utilise remote learning for the whole school during January, and the majority of those that did were in the nursery or preschool setting. Just over 14% of post-primary schools that completed the survey during January needed to use remote learning for a class or more in year 12, and under 12% of post-primary schools that completed the survey needed to use remote learning for a class or more in year 14.”
“I thank the Member for his question. We published guidance in December on the use of remote learning, and that was in anticipation of the increase in the omicron variant and the impact that it may have, particularly on those who were going through examination classes. It was to prioritise face-to-face learning for years 11 to 14, particularly for those in years 12 to 14 who were completing their qualifications in this academic year. <BR /> <BR />My officials monitor the use of remote learning across all the school settings on a weekly basis via a short survey. The survey findings are then published each week on the Department's website. Survey response rates have been good. An average of almost 740 survey responses were received each week during January.”
“Each query raised by an education setting was assessed and prioritised by EA on a case-by-case basis and responded to as quickly as possible. That engagement was done through a relevant cross-organisational link officer or an email, depending on the circumstances of the issue. Each school was probably being dealt with in a slightly different way depending on the cases, and that may have created anxiety.”
“Obviously, that reflected the changes that were taking place, particularly in response to the omicron variant and the high number of cases. We hope that the operational changes to the support that is offered by the PHA and the EA have not had a significant impact on the workload of school staff. Where there are multiple cases in a class, schools are now able to recommend that pupils in that class take an LFD test at home without having to agree extended testing directly with the PHA, which was taking a lot longer and adding another layer of bureaucracy to that. <BR /> <BR />As a consequence of the high volume of calls to the EA's COVID helpline in January, the EA introduced a triaging system to enable it to identify what were considered to be high-priority or urgent calls in education settings.”
“I thank the Member for her question. I recognise that it has been a very difficult period for school leaders, particularly when they are dealing with significant numbers of cases in their schools among teaching staff and classroom assistants. <BR /> <BR />There is regular contact between my Department, the PHA and the Education Authority (EA). Officials in the Department meet officials in the PHA every week, and there are fortnightly meetings with practitioner groups, regular meetings with unions and so on to discuss the same issues. The Public Health Agency and the Education Authority issued a joint letter to all schools on 24 January that provided an update on the operational support that is available to schools from the PHA and the EA when positive cases are identified.”
“That balances the identification of positive cases with avoiding the widespread disruption where whole classes were asked to self-isolate, in many cases unnecessarily. Should there be any changes to the Department of Health’s approach, we will continue to ensure that schools are supported.”
“If a school is aware that 20% or more of a class have tested positive within 10 days of the first case, it should recommend extended testing to the class. To do that, it should issue a PHA template letter to parents to ask asymptomatic members of a class to take one-off lateral flow test before returning to school. If the children are already at school, they do not need to leave school immediately. That applies to primary and post-primary settings. <BR /> <BR />The Department of Health’s guidance is the appropriate approach to ensure that positive cases self-isolate as soon as possible. The approach taken by schools in response to positive cases will allow parents of other pupils to swiftly identify asymptomatic cases.”
“The current public health guidance is that, if a child tests positive through a positive lateral flow device (LFD) test, they should ensure that their test result is uploaded to the online portal and follow the current self-isolation protocols. The individual should then isolate for 10 days. They may be able to end their self-isolation period from day 6 if they have two consecutive negative lateral flow test results taken 24 hours apart, with the first of those taken no earlier than day 5, and they do not have a high temperature. <BR /> <BR />Schools are encouraged, in response to being notified of a positive case, to issue the Public Health Agency's (PHA) "warn and inform" letter to parents of pupils in the same class.”
“It has been inspirational to hear their voices, and I am delighted to have been able to bring change on their behalf. These are important, groundbreaking and progressive amendments, and I commend them to the House.”
“I thank all Members who spoke to these important amendments. I am really encouraged and pleased by the level of support, particularly from the Chair and the Committee members, for the inclusion of premature children and for the Bill as a whole. We have worked through it in a very short period of time. <BR /> <BR />Today's amendments address very real concerns about a potentially vulnerable group of children who have been impacted by premature birth. The amendments will give the clarity and comfort that parents of those children have sought. The amendments fit very well within the broader intent of the School Age Bill, which is to permit deferral for all those who are young for year. <BR /> <BR />I again thank those parents and supporting groups who have made the case for young-for-year and premature children.”
“My Bill gives real choice to the parents of the many thousands of children born in April, May and June each year and now to premature children who would have been young for year if born at term. My Bill is unprecedented in its scale and scope and will transform the lives of many children in the years ahead. I trust that Members will support the amendments.”
“It applies the same definition of "final pre-school year" for children who defer to children who are born prematurely but were due to be born after 1 April. That means that premature children, like all young-for-year children, will have the option to defer entry to preschool education and to receive priority for a government-funded preschool place in the school year after their fourth birthday. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 4 is a technical amendment to the long title to ensure that it is wide enough to include amendment Nos 1 to 3 in the Bill's competence. <BR /> <BR />I have listened to the parents of premature children and their advocates such as TinyLife and have tabled the amendments to bring premature children who would have been born after 1 April within the scope of the Bill.”
“It also continues to avoid a situation where children separated by almost two chronological years are educated in the same school class. The amendment, coupled with the right to defer for all young-for-year children will give Northern Ireland one of the most progressive and evidence-based approaches to school starting age in the world. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 2 is consequential to amendment No 1. The School Age Bill amends article 46A of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 to recognise that deferred children will not start post-primary school until they reach the age of 12. The amendment brings premature children due to be born after 1 April who choose to defer into the scope of that definition. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 3 is another consequential amendment.”
“The amendment focuses on the expected birthdate of the child and whether they would have fallen within the young-for-year category if born at term. In a small number of cases, there will also be very premature babies born in late March who would have been part of a younger chronological year group if born at term. My amendment is what representatives of premature children have advocated for many years: an approach that is based on corrected age. No longer will any child in Northern Ireland be required to start school a year earlier due to their premature birth. That is very much in line with evidence on the double disadvantage of being both premature and young for year and with the broader intent of the School Age Bill to permit deferral for all those who are young for year.”
“I am pleased to move amendment No 1, which will allow premature children to defer entry to primary school if their due date was after 1 April. The amendment encompasses within young-for-year children babies born prematurely between December and March who were due to be born between April and June or even in the summer months if born at term. Members will note, for example, that children born in the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth week in late March will, due to the amendment, be able to defer entry to preschool and primary school. That approach enshrines fairness and equity, as it means that no child is further disadvantaged and excluded from the young-for-year category due to their prematurity.”
“I have reiterated on a number of occasions that a substantial amount of consultation will take place in advance of new proposals coming forward in relation to the recommendations that came from Baker Tilly Mooney Moore and to reflect what is required within the teaching profession. We have an opportunity to do the right thing, and we need to do that, to take it seriously and to ensure that the profession is supported in a way that it has not been for a very long time. That will be taken forward by a new Bill, which, at the same time, will dissolve the current GTCNI. <BR /> <BR />I thank Members for their contributions, and, given the comments made, I assume that we will get support for the General Teaching Council (Directions) Bill. I look forward to continued engagement with Members as the Bill progresses through its various stages.”