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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“The memorandum of agreement was reconfirmed in July between the Education Authority and trustee bodies of the schools that will move to the Strule campus. A vacated sites working group, with representation from owners, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and relevant Departments, is actively considering how best to plan for and manage the future use and/or disposal of the existing school sites. Site-specific disposal strategies have been prepared as a first step in determining plans for their future use. Those plans will be developed in line with, and will feed into, the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council local place-shaping plan.”
“Provided that sufficient progress has been made, the release of the invitation to tender is scheduled for autumn this year and should take place in the next few weeks. <BR /> <BR />Alongside that, the Department continues to work closely with the six school principals and their teams to build on the culture of sharing in Omagh, albeit within the context of ongoing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A project plan and business case detailing the work that is required to realise the educational benefits and to pilot various shared education initiatives prior to the go live is under development. <BR /> <BR />The Department is developing arrangements for the ownership, governance, funding and management of the campus with the schools and their managing authorities and trustees.”
“<BR /> <BR />To address the points of Mr Buchanan and other Members about construction, pre-tender engagement with the construction industry was completed in August. The next step is to formally commence a fresh main works procurement competition to build the five post-primary schools and shared facilities. Prior to the release of the invitation to tender, a number of important elements of the programme will be considered, including progress on the ongoing development of the work required to realise the educational benefits, the reconfirmation of the memorandum of agreement, which took place in July 2021, and, as I mentioned, the outcome of engagement with the construction industry.”
“It will be a place where flexible learning and enriched curriculum choices give our young people the freedom and confidence to become the best that they can be, broadening their horizons to support their progression in life, further study, employment and training. <BR /> <BR />The Strule programme is a top priority for my Department, and I showed my commitment to it earlier in my tenure by issuing a ministerial direction to move to the next stage following Executive endorsement last year. I visited the site many years ago when I was a member of the Education Committee, and I am disappointed that, in 2021, I had to issue a direction to move it forward. That said, I am pleased to report that significant progress is now being made across the programme.”
“Students and staff will learn and work together on a vibrant and dynamic campus, where shared experiences will complement high-quality education for all in extensive state-of-the-art facilities. It is a pioneering programme that is designed to encourage cohesion, collaboration and partnership, underpinned by the rationale, vision and objectives of my Department's policy for shared education, Sharing Works. <BR /> <BR />All the Members who spoke in the debate referenced the significant educational, societal and economic benefits associated with the delivery of the Strule programme.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in and respond to the Adjournment debate on the Strule Shared Education Campus in Omagh. I thank the Member for West Tyrone for securing the debate and all those Members who participated in it. The Members who participated were very positive about the programme and are naturally frustrated by the delay in its completion. It is also really good to know that the Member for Strangford has had a Damascus road conversion on shared education. <BR /> <BR />The Strule campus will be the largest shared education partnership of its kind in the world, bringing together over 4,000 children and young people from all backgrounds, including those with special educational needs.”
“I appreciate the intervention. I am happy to have a discussion and maybe arrange a meeting with officials to see what we can do in that regard. <BR /> <BR />My Department's approach has been to engage with schools to build teachers' confidence, to build capacity and to provide training, resources and support that will, ultimately, provide better outcomes for young people. I might disagree with the Member to my right: he may measure the effectiveness of this place by the number of Bills that we pass; that is not necessarily my position. <BR /> <BR />Naturally, Members are committed to supporting the Bill, so I will, of course, work with officials over the coming weeks to consider how best to proceed.”
“Our focus must be to support schools to design and implement a high-quality curriculum that is tailored to meet the needs of our pupils and reflect a school's context and values rather than a mistaken pursuit of rigid uniformity. <BR /> <BR />Let me conclude by reiterating that I fully support the principles and intent of the Bill. We are all united in the aim of giving our young people the skills and confidence that they need in order to save a life. By educating and empowering young people around CPR training, we will improve the chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, I ask Members to reflect on the ongoing work on this important matter. CPR is now an expectation in the curriculum for all pupils.”
“<BR /> <BR />The flexibility of the curriculum aims to empower schools to provide a curriculum that is adaptable and responsive to the needs of individual learners. By contrast, in topic-heavy curricula, the development of problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills are inevitably squeezed. CPR is clearly an extremely important issue, which is why I am committed to ensuring that all pupils receive CPR training as part of the Key Stage 3 curriculum. As a consequence, I do not believe that it is absolutely necessary to introduce mandating primary legislation. Such an approach begins to unravel the coherent whole of the Northern Ireland curriculum. There is enormous scope in our education system to address the issue without recourse to legislation. Mr McGrath is aware of that, because we have had this conversation.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. I took a lot of time to consider that issue, and I spoke to officials about it. The approach that we have taken with regard to rolling out CPR aspects at the beginning of September seemed to be the most appropriate way to deliver it at this point. <BR /> <BR />The list of topics leads to breadth at the expense of depth and content at the expense of skills, with the result that teachers feel that they do not know how to support students in those emerging areas, and that goes beyond CPR. The Northern Ireland curriculum is explicitly designed to prevent such curriculum overload, and it aims to help our children and young people to gain the knowledge, skills and attributes that are needed for life in the 21st century.”
“<BR /> <BR />My officials have also considered the approach of amending the minimum content regulations. However, lists of topics simply become longer, and nothing is removed to accommodate the newcomers.”
“Such high levels of prescription are generally associated with lower-performing school systems, where teachers' skills also tend to be weaker. <BR /> <BR />There are regular calls for legislation to make a wide range of issues compulsory in the statutory curriculum, such as CPR, smoking awareness, gambling-related harm and sexual and domestic violence. Those are really important and, indeed, potentially life-saving issues, but there is a need to protect our schools from curriculum overload, where content or issues are constantly added in response to meeting new societal demands, leading to schools becoming the answer to all of society's ills. That is why I do not necessarily think that introducing primary legislation is the right approach at the moment.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will now turn to the curriculum and comment on it. In common with the majority of high-performing school systems, the principles of limited prescription and maximum flexibility underpin the world-class Northern Ireland curriculum. The curriculum is designed specifically to reflect the importance of giving schools autonomy to choose their own curriculum approaches. That allows school leaders and teachers to build a curriculum with appropriate coverage, content, structure and sequencing for their pupils. By contrast, legislating for detailed lists of compulsory subject content does not in any way ensure that a topic will be well or consistently taught. Rather, ad hoc legal additions can lead to an overcrowded and poorly designed curriculum that lacks clear structure and coherence.”
“I share his view, so I have progressed that. Consequently, CCEA will develop a first aid curriculum progression framework setting out how best to teach first aid at each stage of education, from primary 1 right through to Key Stage 4. That will give a big-picture view of the key concepts and significant steps that learners take as they develop their expertise in first aid during their time in school. That goes significantly further than the Bill and will provide a joined-up and coherent approach. <BR /> <BR />I recently attended the launch of the Ambulance Service's roll-out of its lifesaver ambassador training to initial teacher training programmes. That will equip future educators to deliver emergency life support skills, including CPR and defibrillator awareness, to pupils.”
“My Department has therefore commissioned CCEA and the Education Authority to develop appropriate resources and training to support the universal roll-out of CPR training. They will work closely with the British Heart Foundation and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. I will provide £70,000 of funding to support that work during the current financial year and further funding in future years, as required. Further information and guidance from my Department signposting that additional support and training will be provided to schools later this year. <BR /> <BR />CPR training is likely to be more impactful if it forms part of a coherent approach to teaching first aid across all key stages. That is a much more holistic approach to curriculum implementation. Mr Butler mentioned that he would like to see that training much earlier.”
“I have asked schools to consider introducing CPR training during the current academic year, if at all possible. From September 2022, the Department will then expect all Key Stage 3 pupils to receive CPR training as part of the curriculum. That expectation will be reflected in the Education and Training Inspectorate's safeguarding pro forma and will form part of an inspection of learning for life and work. Schools will also be asked to consider providing refresher training at Key Stage 4 and post-16. <BR /> <BR />However, it is not sufficient to simply mandate. We have to support and engage schools in that important area to ensure high-quality provision for our young people.”
“My Department wrote to schools on 20 September setting out its expectation that, from September 2022, CPR training will form part of the Key Stage 3 curriculum. I fully agree with the Member for South Down that an opt-in system is not sufficient, and that is not what is being introduced. CPR training will be part of the delivery of learning for life and work in all our post-primary schools. That is the ideal context for learning first aid and CPR. <BR /> <BR />Learning for life and work provides opportunities for pupils to develop practical knowledge, alongside the skills and attributes necessary to put such knowledge into practice in a real-life emergency; for example, through the development of self-confidence and empathy and learning to identify and manage risk.”
“<BR /> <BR />At the outset, I pay tribute to the wonderful work that has been ongoing in our schools. Many thousands of young people have been and are currently receiving CPR and defibrillator training as part of the curriculum. The British Heart Foundation provides a range of resources and supports for schools through its Call Push Rescue programme, which is designed to build capacity and expertise in CPR training across our education system. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has also invited schools to participate in its Community of Lifesavers education programme. We are not at a standing start: many of our schools have led the way in providing CPR training over many years. <BR /> <BR />Today, I will set out for the Assembly the current approach that my Department is taking to ensure that all pupils receive CPR training.”
“As a former teacher, and having been trained in CPR, I truly understand how vital it is. I therefore thank the Member for South Down for giving the Assembly the opportunity to discuss the matter and for recognising the work that has been undertaken in the last few months and my genuine commitment to it. I acknowledge the support from across the Chamber today for CPR training in schools. The proposed Bill would place a duty on my Department to make CPR training and awareness of the use of defibrillators a compulsory part of the statutory Key Stage 3 curriculum. I fully agree with the principles of the Bill and am fully committed to ensuring that all children receive CPR training in our schools. However, as I will set out today, that work is already being implemented.”
“That programme will mean that all post-primary pupils in Key Stage 3 will receive CPR training from the start of the next school year. Melissa and Clare are real people with a real and moving story to tell. Theirs is a clear example of the importance of being trained in CPR at school. Put simply, it saves lives.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I offer my condolences to the Member for Lagan Valley and his family on the passing of his sister-in-law. <BR /> <BR />Before I begin my response to the debate, I want to mention the story of Clare Hamilton and Melissa Doyle. Melissa was taught CPR by her school nurse in Fort Hill Integrated College in Lisburn. In what must have been her worst nightmare, she had to put that training to use in real life when her mum, Clare, suffered a cardiac arrest at their home. Melissa's quick actions and the training that she had received undoubtedly saved her mother's life. I had the immense privilege of meeting Clare and Melissa when, with the British Heart Foundation and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, I launched my Department's CPR programme in September.”
“My Department continues to work towards appointing a contractor in the near future.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I had an interesting day in North Antrim, although it was a very long one. I very much appreciated the opportunity to visit the Ballycastle campus and meet those from the two schools involved in it. When the Member was the Chair of the Education Committee, he was passionate about shared education, particularly that example, which has now been in place since the 1960s. It was a real trailblazer for shared education and shows how it works. As a reward for the hard work and vision of those who have gone before, I would be delighted to see the project move forward. <BR /> <BR />As the Member said, owing to current uncertainty in the construction market, there has been some delay in appointing a contractor for the project. The procurement process is ongoing, however.”
“I want to ensure that, unlike other reports that have been put on a shelf, there is a pathway forward and that we see significant work coming out of it. We need to make a long-term commitment if we mean what we say, in that we do not want to have further underachievement, particularly for our young boys. It is something that I and my party are committed to.”
“Unfortunately not. As I said in a previous response, the Northern Ireland block is facing considerable pressure next year and beyond to meet the financial costs of Education, Health and other Departments. I have met Executive colleagues, including the First Minister and deputy First Minister and the Economy Minister. I have meetings set up with the Minister for Communities, and I am meeting the Health Minister tomorrow. <BR /> <BR />I wish to express the importance of delivering on this cross-cutting report. Commitments to implementing 'A Fair Start' and the action plan can only be fully delivered with additional funding. In recent years, as I have said, my Department has been relying on significant additional in-year resources to meet inescapable pressures, but, for me, 'A Fair Start' is an incredibly important piece of work.”
“A stakeholder reference group has been established to support the programme board to develop and refine the actions. That includes trade union representation, schools and community groups. I have allocated £4 million in this year's budget to begin the work, and I am pleased to report that two of the 47 actions are already being delivered.”
“I thank the Member for his question. That was a commitment in New Decade, New Approach, which was brought forward by my predecessor. We have got to the stage now of having a report with a long-term action plan containing 47 actions spread across six years and beyond. The focus of the report is very much on early years. My Department has begun to look at implementation of the report and an action plan. A programme board has been established. Three meetings have taken place to date, and a schedule of meetings has been agreed. Senior responsible officers have been established for each of the eight key areas identified in the report. <BR /> <BR />Due to the cross-cutting design of the report, there was representation on the programme board from a number of Departments and arm's-length bodies.”
“As the Member will be aware, I visited Enniskillen Royal Grammar School in the first week of taking up this post, and I spoke to the principal and governors about the challenges that they have, particularly with having a split site. The project is currently in design, with the RIBA stage 2 concept design submitted to the Department for review on 18 August. The Department's review is expected to be complete by the end of October, at which time the project may progress to RIBA stage 3, which is developed design. In parallel with the design process, an addendum to the approved business case is being developed to reflect increased costs associated with the Portora House listed building.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Devenish College has waited for a long time, as its new build was announced way back in 2013 and the work did not start until 2019. I understand that, at the minute, the expected date for completion is July 2022, and I hope that that will still be the case.”
“I am encouraged that the Education Committee previously indicated its support for bringing forward such legislation. As I said, it is important to make sure that the policy that underlies any changes is right and to take the time to engage. I am sure that, if required, the legislative process in the Assembly could be shortened. While I would be reluctant to ask for accelerated passage, with the agreement of the Committee, we may need to look for that.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I am fully committed to introducing flexibility in the school-starting age. I have asked my officials to carry out further targeted consultation with key stakeholders, with a view to commencing a public consultation later in the autumn. <BR /> <BR />Ultimately, the time frame for moving through the legislative stages is not wholly within my control. It is likely to be impacted by a significant number of Executive and private Member's Bills that are all vying for Assembly time. Any decision to take a Bill forward is very much dependant on it being viewed as an Executive and Committee priority and on the capacity of the Office of the Legislative Counsel to draft a suitable Bill in time to allow Assembly scrutiny. However, it remains a top priority for me to bring that legislation forward.”
“That is absolutely appalling. Ensuring that schools are adequately resourced is a commitment in New Decade, New Approach. That can be addressed only if we have additional funding, and I will be looking for support for that.”
“I thank the Member for his question. At this stage, I am not in a position to comment on whether my Department will receive the necessary funding for next year. The indications are that the Northern Ireland block will face considerable pressures next year and beyond to meet the financial costs of education, health and so on. <BR /> <BR />I am strongly of the view that cutting existing education services is not a viable way of facilitating reprioritisation elsewhere. I am committed to working with Executive colleagues to ensure that education is adequately funded. In recent years, my Department has had to very much rely on significant additional in-year resources simply to meet inescapable costs and demand pressures and avoid cuts to essential front-line services for children and young people, such as special educational needs.”
“I thank the Member for his question. The budgetary outcome for 2022-23 has not yet been announced. The first step will be the announcement of the UK spending review outcome, which will take place on 27 October. I understand that the Finance Minister will engage with all Ministers prior to publishing a draft Executive Budget for consultation as soon as possible thereafter. With regards to my Department's budget, I cannot say at this stage.”
“The art competition forms just part of the Department's NI100 education programme. A number of projects are being launched this year including a range of shared history resources, a coding programme for primary-school pupils, NI100 time capsules, a school in 1921 celebration event and a 'Dragons' Den'-style entrepreneurial programme. The NI100 education programme has a very strong curricular focus. It is designed to underpin and enhance key areas of learning across the curriculum, particularly the world around us, history, ICT and entrepreneurship education.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is an exciting opportunity for children and young people across Northern Ireland to participate in a centenary art competition. It is a great way to motivate young artists and to showcase their talents and further develop their creative skills. I am also delighted that the Ulster-Scots Agency has come on board, because I noticed that it has been encouraging schools to give their artwork an Ulster-Scots theme. If any school wishes to do that, it can apply for additional funding of around £500 for art supplies. That is on a first-come, first-served basis.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I launched the NI100 art competition for schools across Northern Ireland on 11 October. The competition is open to all preschools, primary schools, post-primary schools and special schools and will run until 15 November. The aim is for pupils to share their love of the stunning landscapes, the natural beauty, the people and the places of Northern Ireland in 2021 and to reflect on the meaning of home and family. Prizes of £200, £150 and £100 will be awarded for first, second and third place across five age categories. There are also separate categories for pupils attending special schools. The school of the overall winner will receive £1,000 to spend on art materials for pupils, and a celebration event for the competition winners will be held in Parliament Buildings in December.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I outlined some of the issues with completing the UK Disclosure and Barring Service checks There was also an issue with the computer system and payments at that time, which created a backlog. I have been aware of the issues that have beset GTCNI for quite some time — I was aware of them before taking up office — but I became aware of the most recent issue in August.”
“<BR /> <BR />With regards to the immediate issue, I have instructed my officials to work alongside GTCNI to ensure that young teachers, in whom we place great value given the fact that they have spent quite a considerable length of time studying for their PGCE and equivalent degrees in order to teach, are not in any way inhibited from getting a position. We have been working alongside GTCNI to ensure that the issue is moved on as quickly as possible.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I do not disagree that there is dysfunctionality in the GTCNI. A number of issues over the last few months have created a perfect storm. There have been difficulties with completing applicants' UK Disclosure and Barring Service checks. As the Member said, there have been delays in the registration of locally educated newly qualified teachers, those who were educated on the mainland and those who are regarded as the rest of the world. That is unsustainable. He will be aware that my predecessor, who was also cognisant of those issues, introduced an independent review of GTCNI and all its processes.”
“You will also know that a considerable amount of work has gone into webinars and corresponding with principals about that. I welcome any feedback that I receive, and I certainly pass it on.”
“Generally, with some exceptions, there is relief that the process has changed.”
“I thank the Member for his question. He will be aware that the previous system, where the responsibility lay completely with schools, was unsustainable. As a consequence, I had discussions with his colleague the Minister of Health and with the CMO on how that could change, after which the PHA began carrying out the close-contact notifications. <BR /> <BR />I have received mixed views on that. The majority of principals who I have spoken to said that it has been a welcome relief to not have to spend weekends doing that work. There are others who feel that, perhaps, a little bit more could be done and that the guidance on close contacts should be looked at. Again, that would need to be discussed at Executive level as it was a decision that was made at the Executive.”
“I thank the Member for his question. That is not data that my Department holds, but it may be held in the Department of Health. Again, I would need to have conversations with officials from the Department of Health on whether it would be permissible to share that information.”
“I thank the Member for her question. A number of Members have asked for specific numbers on infection rates in schools. That is something that I will keep under review and discuss with my officials and officials in the Health Department.”
“There has also been a reduction in the number of children who are learning from home due to social distancing, with the absentee rate coming down from 0·4% to 0·1%. <BR /> <BR />Therefore, the more targeted approach to identification of close contacts in school has resulted in improved attendance figures in schools, with fewer pupils being required to self-isolate. The PHA taking on responsibility has also reduced the burden on teachers and school leaders as they are no longer required to have a role in contact tracing and can focus on the safe and effective education of our children.”
“That aligned with the easing of restrictions in society, and, with high vaccination rates, it was the right time for the PHA to lead the contact tracing in schools, as it does in all other settings. <BR /> <BR />The new approach has led to fewer close contacts being identified in schools. With fewer close contacts being identified, we have seen an increase in the numbers of pupils attending schools. Attendance data for the week commencing 4 October showed that 0·7% of total pupil sessions were recorded as pupils self-isolating having been identified as a close contact of a positive case. That is significant reduction on the corresponding figure of 2·7% of sessions for the week commencing 6 September.”
“When the new school term began, it was evident early on that the position regarding contact tracing was not sustainable, with high numbers of close contacts in a school setting being identified. That caused disruption in schools, with large numbers of children missing school and increased pressure on principals. Therefore, I agreed with the Health Minister that the Public Health Agency (PHA) would take over the role of identifying close contacts in schools. <BR /> <BR />In his letter of 9 September to parents, pupils and schools, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) explained that it was the right time to introduce a more targeted approach to the identification of close contacts in schools.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Obviously, we have had discussions before in relation to that school and others in the east Antrim area. I gave a commitment to visit the school, and that was planned for September but, unfortunately, had to be rescheduled. I will be in contact with the Member with an update on a date for the visit when it is put in the diary.”
“Unfortunately, those applications were not ranked highly enough to progress at that time, but they will remain on the new call list and will be considered for progression, should additional funding become available. Senior officials from the Department and the Education Authority visited the school in early July to discuss minor works with the principal and are aware of the issues at the school. <BR /> <BR />The EA has completed a condition survey, which will inform the identification and prioritisation of any work at the school, and it will continue to engage with the principal in that regard.”