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.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,694 lines we hold for Pat Sheehan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 33 of 34.
“<BR /> <BR />The rising number of children with special needs has been accompanied by delays in carrying out assessments, and I, for one, welcome the commitment of the Minister and the parts of the legislation that will lead to a reduction of the period for assessment from 26 weeks to 20 weeks. I hope that 20 weeks is going to be the upper limit, rather than a minimum period, in which assessments can be carried out on those children who have special needs. <BR /> <BR />It is vital that schools — I include the boards of governors in that — and the Education Authority are clear about their responsibilities. Hopefully, this Bill will also bring about clarity in that regard. <BR /> <BR />While over 5,000 children with very complex special educational needs are in special schools, the overwhelming majority are in mainstream schools.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate today. As has been stated, the current arrangements date back to 1986, albeit that there have been some changes in the intervening period. It is well past the time for us to introduce a legislative framework that is fit for purpose for the 21st century. This Bill gives us the opportunity to build that framework and to deal with the increasing number of children with special needs. Today we have heard chapter and verse about the vast increase in the number of children being diagnosed with special educational needs, and that is something that the legislation has to take account of.”
“<BR /> <BR />I take this opportunity to thank both the previous and present Speakers for their letters to the Assembly and Executive Review Committee supporting and encouraging more women into politics and committing to be mindful in the conduct of the Speaker’s responsibilities. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I would like to end by drawing attention to how the Assembly and Executive Review Committee reached consensus on all of the 29 recommendations; a clear indication as to how increasing women in politics should be a priority for political parties, the Executive and the Assembly. The Assembly and Executive Review Committee now requests that the Assembly approves the Committee’s report.”
“The Assembly needs to establish a working group, made up of elected women and men, who will monitor and promote measures to ensure that the Assembly becomes a gender-sensitive Parliament. While no consensus was reached on mandatory quotas or financial penalties, many other recommendations to political parties, if adopted, could have a major impact. For example, given the vital role that the media can play in telling us more about the views of women in political life, parties should ensure that their internal media strategies give women greater visibility. Time and time again, childcare was named as one of the main barriers to women. A childcare strategy for the North needs to be a priority, as that issue will remain a challenge for women considering a political career.”
“The Icelandic Government and political parties have introduced a number of key actions to increase women’s participation in the political, social and economic life of the country. <BR /> <BR />While undertaking the review, the Committee was made aware of a number of programmes, policies and strategies undertaken by the Assembly, political parties and Departments. It was apparent that, in order to increase women in politics, a more holistic approach across the Assembly, political parties and Departments is required. <BR /> <BR />The final report has made a series of recommendations for the Assembly, political parties and the Executive to assist women into politics and support our existing female politicians. Here are three of the recommendations demonstrating what would have a positive impact on addressing the barriers for women.”
“Members were able to discuss future plans of the National Assembly for Wales in increasing women’s participation in politics as well as taking evidence from academics and those who delivered the public life initiative. <BR /> <BR />The Committee was aware of the four Nordic countries that have consistently held the highest positions of gender equality in the world. One of those countries, Iceland, was considered a country to visit as the Icelandic Government have taken systematic steps to introduce and promote gender equality in all areas of society. One third of current Ministers are female and, in the Parliament, women hold nearly 40% of parliamentary seats. Iceland has had special legislation intended to ensure equality between women and men since 1976.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to express the Committee’s appreciation to all those who contributed to the inquiry. <BR /> <BR />While encountering a wealth of knowledge within the North, it was important for the Committee to experience how other legislatures had approached increasing women’s participation in politics and the Committee undertook a fact-finding visit to the National Assembly for Wales. During its visit, the Committee was able to explore how the National Assembly for Wales managed to maintain 42% of women Assembly Members. The Committee considered the impact of an initiative developed by the Presiding Officer for the National Assembly for Wales, Dame Rosemary Butler, in order to encourage more women into public life for the 2016 elections.”
“<BR /> <BR />In June 2014, the Committee agreed the terms of reference for the review and agreed to analyse barriers and challenges facing women seeking to enter political life, examine the potential of existing initiatives, explore the merits of positive action and, finally, provide recommendations and conclusions. The Committee listened to evidence on this issue from leading academics, representatives from the women’s sector and a former Deputy Speaker of this House. The Committee received 20 substantial responses to the written call for evidence, including from academia, trade unions and the women's and youth sectors. Finally, 60 key stakeholders attended a round-table event in October 2014, which was opened by the two junior Ministers, Minister McCann and Minister Bell.”
“In 2013, following a review of the responses received from political parties, the Committee commissioned a paper from the Assembly's Research and Information Service on one of the topics identified, entitled 'Women in Politics'. The paper summarised the background to women’s representation or, more specifically, under-representation in politics here in the North. The stark facts outlined in the paper were enough for the Committee to consider prioritising this issue as its next review. With only 21 females out of 108 elected representatives in the Assembly, the North has one of the lowest levels of female representation of devolved and national legislatures in the UK and Ireland. If placed in international legislatures, the Assembly would rank 70th out of 189 countries.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. As Deputy Chairperson of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, I move the motion on the day following International Women’s Day, which makes this debate more poignant. <BR /> <BR />The purpose of this debate is to approve the report, 'Women in Politics and the Northern Ireland Assembly', but, on this auspicious occasion, it is also an opportunity for the Assembly, political parties and the Executive to commit to turning the recommendations made in this report into meaningful actions that will address the lack of women in politics here in the North. <BR /> <BR />I will put in context why the Assembly and Executive Review Committee agreed to review this topic.”
“The Member, like me, knew Raymond McCreesh; we knew him to be a man of honour, integrity and immense courage. Do you, like me, believe that many of the comments made in the Chamber today have been gratuitously offensive? Would you also agree with me that no one in this Chamber today will succeed in criminalising Raymond McCreesh? Margaret Thatcher was not able to do it in 1981, and no one here will be able to do it either.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a fhreagra. Could the Minister tell the Assembly what priorities he suggests the new board focuses on?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle, agus mo bhuíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra. How much funding has been spent on the Ulster-Scots ministerial advisory group and the Ulster-Scots Agency since 2011?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a freagra. Can the Minister detail the policy objectives of the new rural proofing Bill?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht a fhreagra. I thank the Minister for his answer. Can he tell us whether he has met the Belfast Taxis Community Interest Company to discuss concessionary fares in the taxis that it operates?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Does the Minister agree that no steps should be taken by him that would undermine the effectiveness of the Policing Board in carrying out its work without fear or favour?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Has the Minister scheduled a similar meeting with his Southern Irish colleague?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a fhreagra. What impact might any further reductions in the initial teacher training intake numbers have on students who see teaching as a vocation and will not be deterred by limited places in local universities?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The NCA already has responsibility and is operational on the issue of fuel smuggling.”
“That is also progress, as is the requirement on the NCA to obtain the agreement of an Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) prior to commencing covert investigations. Of course, the fact that that ACC would be fully accountable to the Policing Board in respect of that agreement is also progress.”
“This is the first time I have heard that the NCA will be PSNI officers. My understanding is that it is a distinct organisation. The Member has information that I certainly do not have. <BR /> <BR />The negotiations ended prematurely as a result of one party here accepting a commitment that will not be enforced in legislation. That is the difficulty. Leaving that to the side, it would be churlish not to acknowledge the gains that have been made around NCA accountability, on the ability of the Policing Board to require disclosure, on ensuring that not only can the board call in the ombudsman but the ombudsman can call himself in if and when required and on making the discharge of civil recovery functions subject to the oversight of the board, the ombudsman, Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI) and HMIC.”
“<BR /> <BR />The SDLP says that it has a letter of comfort from the British Home Secretary saying that she will not extend the function of the NCA. If she is prepared to say that in a letter, why was she not prepared to do so in the Order in Council? What is the difficulty there? The suspicion here will be that she is not sincere in what she says in her letter; that is what ordinary people in the street will say. This will be another shadowy organisation that will not command confidence. The SDLP has a letter stating one thing, but it is not mentioned in the Order in Council and there is no commitment from the British Home Secretary to ensure that it is included in a further Order in Council.”
“The Minister was obviously very defensive during Mr McCartney's contribution, and no doubt he will be able to answer for himself at a later date. I am not going to labour that point. <BR /> <BR />What is important is that we were in the middle of a negotiation. Gains have been made; there is absolutely no doubt about that. The parties opposite would have settled for anything for the NCA to set up shop here. We said that we needed accountability, and we have gone a long way to getting that. Further progress on the negotiation was cut short by the laying of this Order in Council in Westminster. Those who settled for that stopped the negotiation. It has opened the way — this is the difficulty — for the Home Secretary at any time by Order in Council to extend the functions of the NCA to include a counterterrorism remit.”
“No, I will not give way. We are not afraid of tackling crime. The best way to tackle crime is to ensure that law enforcement officers have the complete confidence of the community. Given the legacy of policing in this part of the world, it is absolutely essential that law enforcement in all its guises has the complete confidence of the community. We have spent the last number of years building confidence in the PSNI. We are confident that the PSNI itself would have the ability to deal with all crime, if it was properly resourced. It is not, and that is another matter. <BR /> <BR />The motion came to the Floor of the Assembly today in a rather convoluted way. The Minister, as Raymond McCartney pointed out, has questions to answer around that.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. First of all, I must refer to the accusation that Sinn Féin is afraid to tackle crime, dissident republicans or any other group. We are the people who come face to face with them in the community. We are the people who stand up to them, who tell them that they are cowards, parasites and traitors. We are the ones who have had death threats from them.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Perhaps I am wrong, but I would have thought that, given that the Minister made a couple of points of order, Mr McCartney would have been given extra time as a result.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Can the Minister inform the Assembly of the current status of the Casement Park project?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a freagra. Will the Minister outline what factors she considered when allocating funding to the new local action groups?”
“All those things are important, and I ask the Minister to reflect on that. Integration is good; forced integration is bad.”
“Let us force all the kids through STEM subjects, because that is what everybody is saying that we need. We need diversity. We need musicians as much as we need engineers or people involved in ICT.”
“<BR /> <BR />We then come to what is effectively the Alliance Party doctrine of forced integration. I support integration. I think, instinctively and intellectually, that it is a good idea. However, I also think that diversity is a good idea. I support diversity, instinctively and intellectually, because diversity brings a richness to our society. Difference is good, and the difficulty is when one set of ideas tries to dominate another. That is wrong, and that is when conflict is created. That is what happened here, and that is why we are not Dublin or Glasgow. We are still a society coming out of conflict, and that has to be taken into account. If we want to turn out clones, let us all do the same. Let us forget about music in schools. Let us forget about the arts.”
“Figures that I saw at the weekend show that it costs 3·7% more to train a teacher here than in England and Wales. Is that a bad deal considering that school students here regularly outperform their counterparts across the water at GCSE and A level? I do not think that it is a bad deal. <BR /> <BR />I mentioned in the debate the other night that all sorts of graduates are having to emigrate: graduates in law, pharmacy, medicine, the arts and humanities, engineering — you name it. They are all away to England, Australia, Canada and so on. None of them is a graduate of St Mary's, because 94% of St Mary's graduates get a job within three months. However, nobody is saying that we should cut the budget to the law faculty, the engineering faculty or whatever else.”
“The 30·8% budget reductions for Stranmillis and St Mary's are totally unfair. The Minister argues that the premia are not justified and that these university colleges are unsustainable. He is asking them to take a cut of 30·8%, which is impossible. He stands there and says that they are not in imminent danger of closing. No, they are not in imminent danger of closing, but they will wither on the vine. They cannot survive without the premia, and the Minister should take that into account. They get 1% of the overall DEL budget, but the Minister wants to make 3·5% of efficiencies in his overall budget through cutting the premia to the two university colleges. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has said regularly over past weeks and months that it costs much more to train a teacher here than across the water.”
“Education is probably the best gift that we can give our young people. Whether it is preschool education, primary education, post-primary education, further or higher education or lifelong learning, we can give no better gift to our young people. Even if they were not connected to the economy, learning and education in themselves are a great thing. Every debate in here these days has a context, usually cuts and pressures on budgets. This debate is no different. The context here, of course, is that Tory cuts in London are affecting everything that we do, including education, and we have to deal with the consequences. <BR /> <BR />The following are not my words but those of the principal of Stranmillis University College:”
“I support the motion and the amendment. I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and congratulate the Committee for Employment and Learning for bringing the motion to the Floor.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. Beidh mé ag tabhairt tacaíochta don rún agus don leasú agus cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo inniu.”
“This is not Dublin or Glasgow. This is Belfast. We are a city that is still coming out of conflict. We are a divided society. If the Minister tries to force integration, he will be wrong. It is a political decision. He needs to think about it. He needs to think about his decision, enter into a conversation with St Mary's now and suspend his decision to cut the premia.”
“<BR /> <BR />On the issue of a distinctive ethos, a number of Members have said that this is Alliance Party policy. It is as fundamentalist as anything that we hear from some of the other Benches in here. The Minister wants to steamroller through forced integration. He should take a leaf from the Minister of Education, whose model is not about forced integration but about giving parents and students choice about where we should have shared education. Certainly, there should be greater cooperation and sharing of resources and experience between the universities and the university colleges. I listened to the Minister talk yesterday about the ending of religious institutions in Dublin and Glasgow.”
“<BR /> <BR />I know many young people who have emigrated over recent years. A large percentage of them are graduates. Indeed, young lads from the houses next door to me on either side have emigrated to Australia. One of them is a graduate, but he is not a teacher. I know other graduates who have emigrated: engineers, pharmacists, doctors, graduates in the humanities and the arts. None of those graduates came from St Mary's, but no one is arguing that we should cut back on the number of graduates in all those other disciplines. It seems that the Minister is happy to make an arbitrary decision when it comes to St Mary's in spite of the fact that, as he well knows, 94% of graduates from St Mary's get jobs within three months of leaving St Mary's.”
“That is unfair and unjust. If the Minister is going to be fair about it, he should distribute the pain across all the further and higher education institutions. The university colleges receive only 1% of the overall DEL budget, yet the Minister wants to make 3·5% savings from cutting the university colleges' budgets. That is wrong. <BR /> <BR />The Minister has argued that there are too many teachers in the system. That may well be the case. There may be too many at the minute, but the fact is that enrolment is going to begin to rise again in 2018. There needs to be fat in the system to deal with that. If there is a cutback in teachers now, we will face a shortage of teachers when enrolment begins to rise. There need to be enough teachers in the system to cope with increased demands.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Príomh-LeasCheann Comhairle. First, I commend the many students from St Mary's who came to protest today: they are very enthusiastic about St Mary's because it is an excellent institution. <BR /> <BR />I want to cover three areas that the Minister has argued are the reasons for him wanting to withdraw the premia, which will ultimately result in St Mary's closing. First is the reduced budget. Secondly, he says that there are too many teachers. Thirdly, he wants a pluralist system and does not want St Mary's to exist as a Catholic institution. Let us look first at the budget. Yes, all the budgets have been reduced. However, the withdrawal of the premia from St Mary's and Stranmillis means that they are going to get a 30·8% cut. All the other further and higher education institutions are getting only a 10·8% cut.”
“I am glad to hear you say that you know unionists who carry an Irish passport, and I know that there are a few on the other Benches. Do you not also agree that, if you want a Union flag, you can wear one on your lapel, as many Members do? You can fly one outside your house, as many Members do. You can put a sticker on your car. You can have as many Union flags as you want.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. In the event that Miss McCollum's application for repatriation is successful, will the Minister ensure that his Department's emphasis will be on rehabilitation and training so that she can successfully integrate into society again on her release?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I am sure that the Minister will be aware that the retention of a reduction in VAT rates for tourism services in the South has contributed to their success down there. Will she update us on any discussions she might have had about a reduction in the VAT rate here for the tourism industry in the North?”
“I ask others to support the amendment that we have brought forward, which is in the interests, we believe, of doing the best that we possibly can in difficult circumstances for the whole education system.”
“I was talking to some of the teachers at the lunch break, and I pointed out that we do not want to cut back in the classrooms but that there are other areas in the education system that are equally important. They said, "Well, you need to prioritise", but when you ask, "Well, where would you take the money from?", it is much more difficult for them to give you an answer. The answer to the question, and what is at the heart of this debate, is that the education budget needs to be ring-fenced. That is not within my gift, but it is within the gift of all the parties represented on the Executive. <BR /> <BR />I will finish at this point. We will not be supporting the motion or the SDLP amendment.”
“We witnessed a terrible tragedy not long before Christmas in Cloughmills. Are we going to cut back on transport for children to schools? Those are the questions that we need to ask.”
“Children should not be held responsible for that. If schools are providing breakfast clubs, particularly in areas of high deprivation, it is something we should welcome. It is for the benefit of the children and their overall educational outcomes. <BR /> <BR />School transport is another area that receives a lot of funding.”
“Do we send children into the classrooms hungry, where they will not be able to concentrate on their lessons because they are concentrating more on their empty stomachs? <BR /> <BR />Important resources go into youth services. Many young people who have fallen through the cracks in the ordinary school system benefit from youth services. They have not been able to fit in, for whatever reason, have fallen through the cracks and have come under the auspices of youth services, where they have been helped immensely. <BR /> <BR />There are other areas, like SureStart in early years. We also know from research that early intervention is crucial for a child's education. I listened to Paul Girvan's question to the Minister of Education earlier about breakfast clubs. Some parents send their children to school without breakfast.”
“I would not disagree with that sentiment. However, we will not support the motion or the SDLP's amendment because we believe that they are much too narrow. They do not focus on the whole education system. <BR /> <BR />I said at the outset that the education system is much more broadly based than a school system. Take some examples of what is involved in the rest of the education system, where some of the resources go. Those of us who are on the Education Committee know how important leadership is in schools. Some funding from the Department goes towards governor training. Do we cut back on that? I see that Jonathan is laughing. If you ask educationalists, they would say that leadership is one of the most important factors in raising education outcomes in schools. Do we cut back on that? Do we cut back on free school meals entitlement?”