Pat Sheehan
West Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that the Minister's School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill was poor legislation and a missed opportunity?”
“The last point that you made reminded me of one of the witnesses — a young girl — who came to the Committee. During the winter, she wore her own overcoat, but she had to take it off 100 yards from the school gate because she was not allowed to wear it into the school.”
“Agus iad ag ullmhú le haghaidh scrúduithe GCSE agus ard-leibhéil, féadann an imní agus an éiginnteacht sin drochthionchar a imirt ar a n-oideachas agus ar a bhfolláine.”
“Is scannalach go deo an foréigean ciníoch a chonaic muid le seachtain anuas. Tá ionsaithe ar theaghlaigh, ar thithe agus ar ghnólachtaí doleithscéil, agus tá siad dochosanta. Níor cheart eagla a mbáis a bheith ar dhaoine neamhurchóideacha mar gheall ar a gcine, a gcúlra ná a gcreideamh.”
“One of the reasons, Daniel, is that, if we were to have blocked the Bill at the Executive, the SDLP would be saying tomorrow morning "This place is dysfunctional. You're blocking legislation. Sinn Féin is blocking legislation, and the DUP is blocking legislation". No, we are not blocking legislation.”
“I have not once today argued against inspections. Not once. The Bill is about one thing and one thing only: intimidating and punishing teachers.”
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“It then sets out the short title of the Bill. <BR /> <BR />Some may ask why the Bill does not go further. During the pre-consultation engagement, there was a clear appetite for a broader and more comprehensive Irish-medium education Bill. That ambition is understood, and my initial objective was to introduce a wider-ranging and more comprehensive Irish-medium education Bill to deal with inequities in curriculum and assessment resources, capital infrastructure deficits and so on. However, the Speaker's Office was clear. The Members' Bills process requires a tightly defined scope, and rather than overextend and risk getting nothing, I made a deliberate, strategic decision to focus on the structural issue that underpins many of the other issues, and that is workforce sustainability.”
“Following consultation feedback, it was clear that the workforce plan must explicitly encompass early years practitioners, classroom assistants, SEN support staff and leadership and management roles. Retention and career progression must be addressed alongside recruitment. <BR /> <BR />For me, it is crucial — it is perhaps the most important aspect of the Bill — that the workforce plan contain measurable targets. Without measurable targets, strategy risks becoming aspiration. The Bill requires there to be benchmarks against which progress can be assessed. In essence, clause 1 creates the statutory framework for structured and accountable workforce planning. <BR /> <BR />Clause 2 is technical in nature. It provides that the Act will come:”
“<BR /> <BR />Ina theannta sin, cuirtear ceangal ar an Roinn leis an chlásal an t-éileamh reatha agus an t-éileamh ionchais ar an lucht oibre a chur san áireamh, chomh maith le leordhóthanacht an lucht oibre reatha, earcaíocht, coinneáil agus forbairt an lucht oibre, na róil éagsúla taobh istigh den lucht oibre, agus gach cineál soláthair trí mheán na Gaeilge, lena n-áirítear suíomhanna luathbhlianta, bunscoile agus iar-bhunscoile.”
“the Minister must publish and lay a report on the implementation of that plan. Planning is one thing, but demonstrating delivery is another. That provision will ensure both. <BR /> <BR />Clause 1 also sets out consultation requirements. In preparing a workforce plan, the Department must consult schools that provide Irish-medium education, teachers, pupils, parents, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) and others as appropriate. That ensures that future plans are grounded in the lived experience of the sector.”
“That ensures transparency and allows for scrutiny by Members and the Committee for Education. Importantly:”
“Workforce planning must be routine, forward-looking and, at all times, responsive to projected growth and emerging pressures. <BR /> <BR />Thirdly:”
“of the legislation's coming into operation. That ensures that planning will begin promptly and will not be open-ended. <BR /> <BR />Secondly:”
“The Bill is deliberately focused. It contains two clauses. It does not attempt to solve every challenge that faces Irish-medium education. Instead, it addresses one foundational issue, which is workforce sustainability. Clause 1 inserts new article 89ZA into the Education Order 1998. First, the new article requires the Department of Education to:”
“Data suggests that children in Irish-medium education have similar rates of special educational needs as the wider school population. Significantly fewer have statements in place, however. That points to systemic gaps in access to appropriate assessment and support through Irish. My Bill is therefore about not just workforce planning but equality of opportunity and ensuring that children who are educated through Irish are not placed at a disadvantage.”
“The consultation looked at workforce planning not only as a policy issue but as a rights and equality issue. Concerns were raised about equality of access, particularly for children with special educational needs, Irish Traveller children and newcomer pupils.”
“— the entire pipeline into the primary and post-primary sectors will be affected and undermined. That is why it is essential that workforce planning fully reflects early years, ensuring the recruitment, support and retention of staff at that critical stage. Access to staff is not an abstract issue. It affects class sizes, curriculum breadth, staff well-being and children's experience in school. Ní féidir an dualgas reachtúil leis an oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a spreagadh agus a éascú, ní féidir sin a chomhlíonadh ar dhóigh fhiúntach gan pleanáil struchtúrtha don lucht oibre.”
“Yes: the early years sector is absolutely foundational. That is the beginning of a child's entrance into an immersion setting. It is where they develop their relationship with the language. If we do not have a well-supported workforce in the nursery sector — the naíscoileanna”
“, which are rightly described as the foundation of the sector.”
“Research from Professor Noel Purdy OBE, Dr Claire McVeigh, Dr Mark Ballentine and Dr Emilia Symington shows that Irish-medium teachers work on average 47 hours per week, significantly beyond directed time. Much of that time is consumed by translation, resource creation and compensating for the lack of Irish language materials and specialist support. There are also persistent shortages of Irish-speaking subject specialists, substitute teachers, classroom assistants and SEN professionals. <BR /> <BR />Restricted subject choice is emerging at post-primary level because recruitment is so difficult. In early years settings, particularly within the voluntary sector, staff instability and underfunding are placing enormous strain on naíscoileanna”
“Well, it is absolutely vital. Every child has a right to be educated through the medium of Irish. Where some children have additional needs or require extra support or intervention, it is only right that those services are delivered by professionals who are fluent in the language so that their support is consistent with the language that the children are speaking and the fact that they are in an immersion situation within the Irish-medium sector. <BR /> <BR />Is maith is eol dúinn na brúnna atá ar an earnáil ó thaobh an lucht oibre de. Tá sé ar shlí a ráite gurb é bua na Gaelscolaíochta bunrúta a cuid fadhbanna.”
“The workforce pressures facing the sector are now well documented. In a way, the Irish-medium sector is a victim of its own success.”
“Cuirtear an dualgas sin uirthi le hairteagal ochtó a naoi den Ordú Oideachais naoi déag nócha a hocht. Neartaítear an dóigh a gcomhlíontar an dualgas céanna leis an Bhille seo. Neartaíonn sé oibleagáid reatha, agus tugann sé creat feidhme di.”
“That firefighting culture is not sustainable. It is also disrespectful to a vibrant and growing section of our education system. <BR /> <BR />At the outset of this process, I wrote to the Minister to outline my intentions. The Minister advised that the Department is working on a strategy for Irish-medium education and that it is expected in mid-2027. A strategy is welcome, but strategies can be delayed and deprioritised and Ministers can change. Moreover, of course, mid-2027 happens to fall just after the next Assembly election. I am sure that that is entirely coincidental, but it reinforces the point that strategies tied to election cycles are not the same as statutory duties. <BR /> <BR />Is amhlaidh atá dualgas ar an Roinn cheana féin oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a spreagadh agus a éascú.”
“Ninety-eight per cent agreed that the Department should identify and address workforce shortages, and 97% agreed that there should be a formal mechanism to assess how well the Department is fulfilling its statutory duty. Some 97·2% agreed that legislating in this area would enhance the right to education under the European Convention on Human Rights. One respondent put it plainly:”
“Today, Irish-medium education is one of the fastest-growing sectors in our education system. However, underneath that growth lies sustained and serious workforce pressure. The aim of the Bill is to address that pressure in a structured and proportionate way. <BR /> <BR />We undertook extensive consultation. The online survey received 529 responses, 95% of which came from individuals directly connected to the sector, including principals, teachers, classroom assistants, early years practitioners, SEN professionals, parents and grandparents. The findings were decisive. Almost 98% agreed that the Department of Education needs to do more to facilitate and encourage Irish-medium education.”
“At the outset, I place on record my thanks to a number of people who have assisted me throughout this process and played a vital role in the development of the Bill. In particular, I thank Alison Belshaw for her professionalism and expertise at every stage. I also thank Frank Geddis and Barbara Love for their advice and support throughout. <BR /> <BR />Irish-medium (IM) education has flourished here, not because it was strategically planned for or consistently supported but because parents, teachers and communities were determined that it would flourish. For decades, the sector had to fight for very basic rights. One respondent to my consultation captured that history clearly:”
“Some of my remarks will be in Irish during this contribution. Tá áthas orm an Dara Céim den Bhille um Oideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge (Plean don Lucht Oibre) a mholadh.”
“Does the Minister accept that there is a qualitative difference between providing free car parking at hospitals and feeding children who are not getting food to sustain them?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. There has been some effort here today to create a disconnect between children's education and their being off school at Easter and Christmas and during the summer. I have two kids who are still at school. They come home at holiday time with packs to work through during the holidays. They also take part in various sports events and music events. How are kids supposed to do sport during the summer holidays if they are not getting fed? Those things are connected. How, if they are hungry, are they supposed to do the work that they are sent home with to do over the holidays? It is so eminently sensible to me that I do not know why others cannot grasp the fact that, if a kid is hungry, they will not learn. It is as simple as that.”
“The question has been asked here today about whether this would be the best use of £20 million or £21 million — whatever it is. We have to balance whether it would be better spent on the curriculum or on reform. My answer to that is this: what is more important than spending money on children who are malnourished or hungry? We almost have a moral obligation to do that, rather than trying to pit it against other possible spend issues in the Department. Does the Member agree with me on that?”
“What happens to the curriculum if the kids are hungry?”
“You said it yourself: it is about priorities. Why do we send children to school? To learn. The evidence shows that, if children are hungry, they will not learn. What could be a greater priority than ensuring that, when children sit down in school, they are not hungry, they are fed and they are ready to learn? We can transform the education system, bring in a new curriculum and so on, but, if we are not addressing the fundamental problem of children being hungry in the classroom, it does not matter what reforms we bring in, because we will end up with the same results. That is where prioritisation comes into the equation. Thanks for letting me in.”
“The Member is majoring on the Education budget, and that is fair enough. In my contribution, I talked about prioritising, and I commended DUP Ministers who previously provided funding for this purpose. At that time, Marcus Rashford, the well-known footballer in England, had a campaign of his own to ensure that children were fed during school holidays. He was eulogised in the media not just in England but here, yet we had brought in holiday payments before his campaign started and did not get a mention in the media at all. Maybe there is a challenge for the media as well, if we can bring the funding back. The media keep saying that we deliver nothing and we do nothing here, but what could be more important than making sure that there is food in children's mouths? We can do that through the Bill, and that should be the priority.”
“Stopping children going hungry during school holidays should be a priority. <BR /> <BR />This Bill is about targeted, direct support to families who need it most. It builds on a system that is already there and will provide direct payments to parents. It is a good Bill. It is practical and proportionate, and it addresses a real and growing need. No one is suggesting or pretending that, on its own, it will solve child poverty, but it is a meaningful step, and one that we can take now. Let us therefore work together to get it over the line. Let us move beyond warm words and non-binding motions to delivering real support. If we really believe that every child deserves a fair start, that cannot stop at the end of term. I urge Members to support the Bill.”
“My question to the Minister asked him to tell the Assembly how much it will cost to set up the managing authority for the controlled sector and what the recurring cost will be over the next x number of years. He did not give us a figure, but I can tell everybody here that it will amount to a significant number of millions of pounds. We have seen money used for the Minister's various pet projects, including state-of-the-art pitches for a school that was already awash with sporting facilities. Let us not forget, as Mr Burrows mentioned, the exorbitant amount being given out for transport, including £83 a mile being paid to taxi operators, with at least 30 taxi operators receiving over £1,000 a week. So, spare us the lectures about affordability. If you really want to prioritise your budget, prioritise what should be a priority.”
“I will tell you what I would support. I would support the Minister's prioritising his own budget. I mentioned the phone pouches. Millions of pounds have been poured into the reform agenda that was lifted from a failed experiment in England. The DUP has ignored the recommendations of the independent review of education and proposed that a managing authority for the controlled sector be set up. I am happy to give way to the Minister if he will get up and tell us how much that will cost, given that it will be a recurrent cost. Is that more important than children going hungry?”
“As my colleague Danny Baker pointed out, many in the Chamber have supported non-binding motions on holiday hunger, but today is the moment to move beyond motions and into action; to put our money where our mouth is. Yes, there will be those who raise concern about the costs. We are talking in the region of £20 million to £21 million, according to the RaISe team in the Assembly. Let us put that in context. First, it is 0·6% of the overall Education budget. We have seen hundreds of thousands of pounds spent by this Minister on phone pouches. What is more important: phone pouches or food for children who are going hungry?”
“<BR /> <BR />We know the reality behind all this. Food bank use is at record levels, and it will go up again with the current crisis of the war with Iran. Some 74% of food parcels are going to families with children. We saw a 49% spike in demand after holiday payments were cut. A number of Members referred to the fact that those holiday payments were being made between 2020 and 2023. The payments were being made by DUP Ministers, and I commend those Ministers for making those payments. Unfortunately, they were not on a statutory basis. Therefore, when it was left to the permanent secretary to make a decision, that was one of the funding cuts. <BR /> <BR />Let us be clear. This is not just about food: it is about education, health and giving kids the best start in life.”
“They are most vulnerable people in society: young children who are born into situations over which they have no control. Some may end up in loving families, where their parents do everything that they possibly can for them. Some of them will end up in dysfunctional families. Some will end up in dire poverty. Why should a child who is born into an affluent background have a better start in life than somebody who is born into a poor background? Why should we discriminate against children on the basis of how much their parents earn or the level of poverty or affluence that they live in? Every child should have the same start in life. That is what the Assembly should be arguing for. That is what we should be in here batting for. I say it again: we have seen evidence of lack of cooperation. Let us see greater cooperation among the Ministers.”
“There is some merit in what you say and a lot of merit in Departments cooperating and collaborating. However, a couple of weeks ago, in here, around the issue of summer schemes for special schools, it was clear that the two Ministers who had responsibility for that could not even pick up the phone and talk to each other. <BR /> <BR />Everyone in the Assembly knew that this legislation was coming and what it was about, so I will ask this question and leave it hanging there. How many conversations have there been between the Minister of Education, the Minister for Communities and the Minister of Health to implement the Children's Services Co-operation Act; to collaborate and cooperate around issues where children are going hungry?”
“There is a simple proposition here. If we accept that it is right to support children with free school meals during term times, it follows logically that we should support them during school holidays, too, because hunger and poverty do not stop when the school gates close; yet that is exactly the cliff edge that many families face. Around 90,000 children are entitled to free school meals, but, when the holidays come, that support disappears overnight.”
“I am absolutely sure that the sponsor of the Bill is open to discussions with other Members and other parties on how we make sure that, as the legislation progresses through the Assembly, it is targeted properly at those who most need it and those who are most at risk.”
“I absolutely agree with the Chair of the Committee. There seems to be broad consensus in the Assembly today that this is an issue that we should deal with.”
“The consequences of that are that they will probably leave school without qualifications. Again, the evidence shows that, where young people leave school without qualifications, they are more likely to be unemployed, more likely to have chronic ill health, more likely to have mental health issues, more likely to take their own life, and more likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system. They will also have a lower life expectancy than others from more affluent backgrounds. Those are the consequences of what we are talking about when we refer to children being hungry. I cannot think of anything more commendable that any society could do than ensure that its children are well nourished and looked after.”
“Some of them had two or three children at school and they did not qualify for free school meals, so those parents were having to hand out £60 or £70 a week to pay for meals in school. Imagine what that amounts to per month, coming out of a low-paid worker's salary. The Bill is not going to deal with that issue, and there is no pretence that it will. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to progressive measures to deal with hunger among children, we are way behind all the other jurisdictions in these islands. As we sit here in the Assembly, what is more important to deal with than children going hungry in our society? I cannot think of anything more important than making sure that children are properly fed. All the evidence shows that, if children are not properly nourished, they are going to fall behind in their learning at school.”
“I thank and commend my colleague Danny Baker for bringing forward this important legislation. Fundamentally, it is about trying to ensure that some children — it will not deal with all children — who currently go hungry during school holiday periods will not in future because their parents will have the resources to ensure that they are fed. I say that it will not deal with all children because, as many contributors today have pointed out, there are families who do not meet the threshold for free school meals. We are talking particularly about low-paid workers, who are sometimes referred to as the working poor. <BR /> <BR />A couple of years ago, I held a meeting with a number of low-paid workers from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.”
“I welcome the deputy First Minister's restating that Casement Park remains a flagship Executive project and her commitment to make progress on it in the Programme for Government. Does the deputy First Minister agree that we must continue to maximise Executive funding for all sporting facilities?”
“However, on 27 March, the Minister released a written statement that confirmed that he had been accused by a civil servant of bullying. I ask you to ask the Speaker to direct the Minister to come in and correct the record and to take whatever other action is required as a result of the very serious matter of misleading the Assembly.”
“On a point of order, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I want to raise an issue under Standing Order 65. It relates to an incident on 23 March 2026 during topical questions, when the Minister of Education was asked whether he had ever been accused of bullying. His answer was:”
“I hope that society in general will not be blamed for this debacle. That distinction belongs to the Education Minister, Paul Givan. Stand up and take a bow, Minister. You will always be remembered for withdrawing bursaries that went to children from disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them go to the Gaeltacht. Now, you can add another string to your bow, as the Minister who could not be bothered to organise summer schemes for children with special educational needs.”
“I could not agree more. <BR /> <BR />At the outset, I said:”
“However, we are hearing from sources within the EA that it still might not be capable of ensuring that the summer schemes will go ahead, so we need to hear unequivocally from the Minister today that they will proceed. He needs to urgently publish a timeline so that families know when schemes will take place and when they will receive the information that they need.”
“In fairness to the Education Minister, perhaps he was too busy with other issues. Last week, for example, just before recess, he managed to get two written ministerial statements out. One attacked two female MLAs from the Education Committee who had had the temerity to criticise some of his policy. The Minister does not like criticism, especially when it comes from women. The other statement was a correction to an answer that he had given in the Chamber to a question on whether he had ever been accused of bullying. Yes, the Minister is a busy man. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the Minister's U-turn on the summer schemes, even though the matter should never have reached this point.”
“I will tell you what he will say. He will say that it was an operational decision for the EA and nothing to do with him. Time and time again, children with special educational needs and their families are paying the price for the failure of the Education and Health Ministers to work together. That is a disgrace of epic proportions, and it is that Minister's fault.”
“<BR /> <BR />I am sick, sore and tired of asking the Minister and his officials about the level of cooperation and collaboration that exists between his Department and the Health Department, particularly in relation to children with special educational needs. Unfortunately, it is clear from the answers that I am getting that there is no collaboration. Paul Givan has known for months — for months — that the summer schemes were not going ahead. Can he tell us how many times he lifted the phone and called Mike Nesbitt to try to get it sorted out? Can he tell us what his officials did to resolve the issue? I can tell you what was done: zero; zilch; nothing. The Education Minister obviously thought that it was not an important enough issue for him to bother intervening in — until, that is, it blew up in the media.”