Gerry Carroll
West Belfast · People Before Profit Alliance · Northern Ireland
“Yesterday morning, as others did, I stood alongside our resident doctors as they commenced a 24-hour period of industrial action. We often praise our healthcare workers in the House and more generally, saying things such as that they are invaluable and that we wish them well.”
“If we have learnt anything from the political events of the past week, it is that powerful people — powerful men, in particular — and institutions should always be held to maximum account when it comes to abuse, neglect and victims, and that victims and survivors should be believed and supported on every occasion.”
“Agency spend has, again, gone through the roof and is sky-high; locum spend has gone up and continues to go up — it has gone up by in the region of £0·5 billion over the past few years; and, almost every single year out of the past five to 10 years, hundreds of millions of pounds of public money have been pumped into the for-profit privat…”
“With bills increasing month-on-month and year-on-year, that is true, and those workers need a proper settlement that meets their needs and the ever-increasing cost of living. One striking doctor put it to me starkly yesterday. They said that they left Scotland and took a more senior position in the health sector in Belfast.”
“I commend Stephen and his colleagues in the Bill Office and the Executive Office officials, who worked closely with me to try to support, amend or help along my amendments — whatever way you want to look at it. I also want to commend the Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone who spoke out during the last few stages.”
“I commend people for speaking out on the issue, especially Sharon Burke. I think that she might be in the Gallery. She has been emailing Members on that issue.”
The complete record
Every one of 4,137 lines we hold for Gerry Carroll, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 69 of 83.
“The last Executive, of the DUP and the Finance Minister's party, Sinn Féin, spent a decade begging the Tories to let them reduce corporation tax to harmonise our levels with the South, in an ugly game of race-to-the-bottom economics to give multinational corporations a tax break and to send up a flare to other corporations to fill their boots here at the expense of our block grant. To this day, I do not think that the Sinn Féin Finance Minister can pledge that he would champion an increase in corporation tax to make those who profit from workers in the North pay their way and fund our services. Perhaps he can correct me.”
“The Finance Minister has been quick to say that Tory austerity has tied the hands and the purse strings of this place and has deepened poverty. Few in this Chamber hate the rotten Tories more than I do. I believe firmly that the Tory Party's influence has made people here worse off, not to mention people in England, Scotland and Wales. I hope that one day we can consign them to the dustbin of history, along with the rotten system that they thrive under and want to maintain. <BR /> <BR />However, it is plainly false to say that the Assembly could not have done more.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is also worth asking this: if, as a result of a universal credit overpayment, sums of £10,000 had been rushed into the accounts of social security claimants, many of whom are new claimants, having lost their job during COVID and facing a Christmas that they never imagined, how quickly would the relevant Department and agencies come down on them to pay it back? I guarantee that it would be done very quickly indeed. That people who hold or who previously held public office chose not to pay back that money is disgraceful, and I am glad that some of them have walked. That the Stormont Executive did not move immediately to claim back the rest of the money taken wrongly from the public purse at a time when people are suffering is completely unacceptable.”
“All the while, I and my colleagues and every community service across the North have been inundated with pleas from people in working-class communities to help them dig around somewhere or barter with someone to get what money or food they need to tide them over. How many hospitality workers would welcome or, indeed, need £10,000 in their account to get them through this crisis? Quite a lot, I would say. <BR /> <BR />Unite the Union has had to design a financial bailout package because support for workers that it represents is severely lacking, despite those workers being expected to get back on the front line every time that this Executive click their fingers or change their mind and before the virus is under control or a proper testing system is in place.”
“<BR /> <BR />We hear much about the increased investment in the Budget to alleviate the COVID crisis. It would be quite astounding if there were less money invested in tackling the crisis. As with almost everything that comes before the House, however, that investment has been predominantly aimed at businesses. Far too many people and workers have been forced to struggle throughout this pandemic. <BR /> <BR />I said something similar a few months ago, but little did we know that £10,000 was rushing into the accounts of some, including accounts that were connected to, or in the control of, public representatives who did not ask for it or did not qualify for it.”
“across the North has stayed with me since I heard it. The outpouring of heartbreak and rage on behalf of those children is something that I felt as I watched that caregiver, health worker and doctor being forced to speak out because the impoverished children in our communities are being failed by this Assembly. We are supposed to be living in a civilised part of the world, but that does not sound like civilisation to me. <BR /> <BR />Every time that I could rise to speak at each stage of this Bill, during the debate on the Estimates and at every stage of the previous Budget Bill, I said that they do nothing to challenge the state-maintained poverty in our communities. This Budget Bill is a continuation of the kind of politics that has deepened poverty rather than alleviated it in our communities.”
“Many in this Chamber would do well to read what she has written. Mr O'Dowd referred to her comments. He should reflect on what his party did to increase poverty and implement austerity in previous Executives, alongside other parties. <BR /> <BR />In the interview, she spoke of 14-month-old children who are so hungry that they store food in their nappy; seven-year-old children who are eating three portions or more because they are so hungry; and children with deficiencies whose short lives have been plagued by malnourishment because of poverty. It is heartbreaking stuff. She spoke of dental decay. Her quote that:”
“It has been referred to already, but a video circulated online last week from Dr Julie-Ann Maney, a paediatrician who works in the children's hospital at the Royal in my constituency of West Belfast. She was being interviewed about an article that she wrote on 'Medium', in which she said:”
“Does the Minister have any concern that the phrase "living with COVID" is being used by some Ministers? It appears to be completely out of step with international best practice and more in line with that of countries that have had a very high death toll and economic ruin.”
“The First Minister said that we should not just return to the status quo after the virus: I absolutely agree. The First Minister also mentioned tackling social disadvantage. What discussions were had at the Council about a COVID wealth tax to tackle inequality, given that billionaires have increased their wealth during the crisis by £25 billion? We are definitely not all in it together. What work is being done to tackle the astronomical wealth gap that exists on these islands?”
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to expand the state, especially the NHS, as many people, including him, I am sure, clapped for it during the pandemic. That is certainly not my definition of socialism, and I am happy to give him a full definition of that some time in the Chamber if the Speaker allows.”
“I thank the Member for giving way, but, to be accurate, I did not ever say "Lockdown, lockdown, lockdown". He raises concerns about low-paid workers and about hospitality workers. I have said repeatedly in the Chamber that there is a plan in place from Unite Hospitality to support workers and ensure that their pay and jobs are protected into the future. Will he and his party support that motion and plan?”
“We need to adopt urgently a zero-COVID strategy of elimination and control, not this constant stop-start situation of mini lockdowns, with seemingly no rhyme, reason, logic or long-term planning involved. Anything less means more deaths, as well as job losses in the long run. The lack of vision on the Executive on this is astounding and increasingly appalling.”
“Those countries are living what could be considered, in this period, to be relatively normal life, with people being able to go to large sporting events and do other activities. <BR /> <BR />The Stormont Executive's living with COVID strategy is a disastrous one which creates a false choice of health versus economy. In reality, it delivers the worst of both of those worlds by continually pitching people's health against their jobs. You cannot keep sending people back to work unsafely before a proper track-and-trace system exists, for example. The negative repercussions of this impact on individual workers as well as on businesses and workplaces collectively. If cities such as Liverpool can implement mass testing of citizens, we should be able to do so in Belfast and across the North more generally.”
“If we are saying that masks are an important part of protecting people from this virus — and they are — then the Executive need to step up to the plate and support people in those endeavours. <BR /> <BR />Finally, the Executive need to radically shift from their dangerous policy of living with the virus and adopt the zero-COVID approach and elimination strategy outlined by the independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and others. When we look at other countries adopting this approach and strategy, we see not only that they have a level of deaths way below our astronomically high figures, and that they are not going in and out and in and out of lockdown.”
“This is happening because our political establishment at both Westminster and Stormont are too tight-fisted to deliver the real provisions that need to be put in place to help workers and small businesses to shield and protect themselves from COVID. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No. 2 relates to face coverings. I have raised the point several times that wearing a mask is an important act of solidarity with those in our health service, retail supermarkets and so on and so forth. I have raised this with a number of Ministers a number of times, but I repeat my call for the Executive to urgently adopt a position of providing free reusable masks to the general public.”
“<BR /> <BR />We cannot look at hospitality in isolation from how people may react to the rumoured change in restrictions. If people see that, according to the Executive's logic, it is safe to go into a restaurant, they will also draw out the obvious contradiction. If it is fine to mix and socialise when they are spending money in a restaurant, then why not in their private lives? The Executive need to stop trying to effectively privatise social interaction by allowing people to mix only where they spend money but then restricting, and indeed fining, people in respect of elements of their family lives. <BR /> <BR />My worry is that efforts to reduce the spread of this virus in recent weeks will again have been wasted if restrictions on workplaces are relaxed once again.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have to say that it is quite astounding to see some quarters feigning concern for low-paid workers despite not lifting a finger to support them or improve their conditions since Stormont has been sitting. Is this a tough period for hospitality workers? Absolutely. Many workers in this industry are worried about their future and their livelihoods, but they are also terrified of this virus. If people here are seriously concerned about these workers, I appeal to them and urge them to support the motion on the Unite Hospitality rescue plan that Rachel Woods and I submitted last week. The last time that I checked, the bigger parties had not supported it. That motion calls for a policy which would financially protect hospitality workers and adopt a proper testing system, along with making other important and achievable demands.”
“<BR /> <BR />In the Chamber, I have criticised DUP members for their approach to the virus. Obviously, Mr Sammy Wilson has been at it again. I think that we urgently need to isolate the rotten politics of Sammy Wilson. Now even Sinn Féin, or the deputy First Minister at least, seems to be dancing to a similar tune. When we have a whole range of medical experts warning against the reopening of hospitality and suggesting that an easing of the current restrictions would be dangerous and result in mayhem, the First Minister and deputy First Minister seem to be taking a very different approach in the media this week — very worrying indeed.”
“Again, this situation arose after the Executive moved prematurely to lift restrictions at the end of the summer, precipitating the spread of COVID in a second wave. This move, alongside the abject failure to establish a proper track-and-trace system, has created this disastrous, uncertain situation where the Executive have been forced to put the hospitality sector into lockdown again after lifting it too soon. That said, I strongly contest the idea that now is the correct or safe time to further open up hospitality or any other sector and to push people back into restaurants and other venues when this virus is still spreading and taking people with it. How many more lives will be put at risk and lost because some people in here want to see laissez-faire capitalism run riot over people's lives?”
“It is worth remembering that those restrictions on hospitality were brought in because case numbers rose rapidly. Evidence shows that the restrictions helped to bring the infection rate down by a significant number. We heard that the biggest proportion of cases in the Derry and Strabane area came from hospitality and then from community transmission. Restrictions on workplaces are not ideal and are not what anybody wants, not least workers themselves, but these restrictions are an important method in getting the infection rates down as opposed to letting it spread rapidly across our community. In the absence of the Executive adopting a zero-COVID approach, they are clearly still necessary. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No. 9 implements restrictions on hospitality and other sectors.”
“<BR /> <BR />As I am sure is the case for others, whenever there is a proposed change to the regulations, I am inundated by questions from constituents about what is going on and what it means for them and so on. We should insist that Ministers bring the regulations to the House before they are implemented. Otherwise, we cannot say that there is any serious scrutiny or accountability at play here. Is that because, as was revealed in Sam McBride's book about the RHI scandal, Ministers are overtly sensitive to criticism and in this instance are running scared of it, or is it because they do not want any scrutiny of their dangerous strategy of living with a killer virus like COVID? <BR /> <BR />Amendment 8 relates to the regulations and restrictions in the Derry and Strabane area.”
“I was going to try to guess the composer of that mobile phone ring tone, but I will not. <BR /> <BR />We cannot have a situation where the Westminster Parliament, which is hardly a bastion of democracy, has more accountability in its course of action than the House. Why is it, as others said, that we have to wait three weeks from when regulations are brought in before we have the chance to discuss them? We are in a health pandemic that has claimed the life of over 1,000 people, and I give my sympathies to all those families who have lost a loved one. Why can the House not have emergency or extra sittings in the Chamber to discuss the regulations in order to challenge or alter them?”
“Once again, it is ridiculous in the extreme that we are discussing these regulations in the Chamber weeks after they have been brought in. By all accounts there seems to be consensus among the majority, or certainly among the big parties of the Executive, to further lift the restrictions, thus effectively making these regulations meaningless just weeks after their introduction. Welcome to Stormont, where basic logic need not apply when making a decision.”
“It is very concerning that manufacturing workers are, once again, facing the prospect of job losses and life on the less than adequate universal credit. My sympathies go out to them all, including those in my constituency. Does the Minister agree with me that we need to move away from a failed economic model that throws large sums of public money at major corporations, with no guarantees that jobs will be safe or secure, and, instead, move towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable model of job creation and protection, with the state taking a lead role? That will ensure that people's lives are not thrown up in the air such as has happened with Caterpillar.”
“During an era in which students are primarily being taught remotely, does the Minister agree with me that it is unjustified to push students further into debt by making them pay tuition fees when they are abiding by public health measures to stay safe? What plans does she have to ensure that students do not rack up further debts at this time?”
“Minister, was there any discussion at the meeting about the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland's (ASTI) recent vote for strike action over safety concerns in education in the South? There is concern among teaching staff about schools and the spread of the virus in them. People want to know what both jurisdictions and Ministers are doing to tackle those concerns.”
“There is hope in those who voted for socialist candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others in the US, the rest of her squad and Bernie Sanders. Let us enjoy Trump's demise and double down on our efforts for international solidarity and fundamental change in America, in Ireland and across the world.”
“That establishment has eviscerated working-class communities across the US. Biden has cheered on the US war machine in the Middle East for decades, time and again. He has declared himself an opponent of the Black Lives Matter movement, and he was the candidate wheeled out to stop the progressive radical Bernie Sanders from breaking with the big-business interests of billionaires in the US. Those who think that Biden is a progressive or a friend of working-class people in Ireland are, frankly, living in fantasy land. <BR /> <BR />I hope for real change in the US, and real change in the US lives of those who are celebrating and demonstrating on the streets: those who have demanded that Black Lives Matter, healthcare for all and raising taxes for the super-rich.”
“Trump is acting like a spoilt child, throwing his toys out of the pram. So many millions rejected him, and he should do what is expected of him and step aside. Trump claimed to stand up for working-class Americans but did nothing to improve their lives. He actually made them far worse. <BR /> <BR />As I have said, the election was all about putting Trump out. For me, it was never about putting Biden in. There is not much good to be said about Biden, except for the fact that he is not Donald Trump. He is, in my opinion, an uninspiring champion of the status quo. The fact that he only just ousted a president whose coronavirus policy resulted in over 200,000 deaths speaks volumes to the limitations of the unimaginative, uninspiring, centrist approach of the Democratic establishment. Joe Biden has been part of the US establishment for years.”
“I congratulate the working class and all minorities in the US on their sacking of the racist, bigoted, homophobic champion of the rich and wealthy, Donald Trump. Trump embodies everything that is wrong with modern capitalism. He is oppressive, reactionary and corrupt and fully committed to increasing the riches of the wealthy, against the interests of ordinary people. He has, for the past four years, encouraged and emboldened a dangerous rise of the far right in the US and across the world. This election was, in my opinion, about giving Trump the boot. We should celebrate that, and democracy must be upheld against Trump's attempts to overturn it. I call on the Executive to immediately demand that the current president cease his efforts to overturn the democratic process. If he refuses to do this, we should break all diplomatic ties.”
“The hope for arresting the assault on our ecosystems and reversing the climate crisis will come not from the establishment but from all those who joined the climate emergency strikes and all the campaigns that already exist across the North.”
“The solution does not lie with emissions trading schemes but with energy efficiency targets, with a focus on the use of reusable energy; keeping fossil fuels in the ground; forcing polluters to pay for pollution; the expansion of our public transport networks; the ending of the destructive Going for Growth — addiction to growth — agribusiness strategy; and many more actions that the Executive could but are not taking. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, without the 1,000 days of resistance by the Greencastle People's Office and everyone else involved in the Save Our Sperrins campaign, it is likely that the Sperrins would have been destroyed already. <BR /> <BR />Instead of blindly following the Tories on environmental policy, the Executive should start listening to what campaigners have been saying for decades and follow their leadership.”
“Emissions trading schemes have been part and parcel of the political and corporate establishment's do-nothing strategy on climate change. They have sat on their hands, allowing the continued destruction of ecosystems and the continued heating up of the planet. The failure of carbon trading is one of the reasons that millions of people joined the student-led climate strikes and walked out of schools and workplaces last year. <BR /> <BR />An ETS is effectively a permit to pollute. Loophole after loophole, including overseas offsets, free permits and more, allows polluters to keep on polluting, especially if they have a lot in their bank accounts. It is a scam that gives polluters the right to keep on emitting more and more poison into our air and water systems with, I repeat, overseas offsets and free permits.”
“Not only that but environmental campaigners are right to be worried that the Executive may try to ram through fracking proposals again in Fermanagh. Added to that, the fact that two green energy schemes — RHI and anaerobic digesters — have hit the news, not because of their success in reducing CO2 emissions but because they were rackets that were used to enrich a golden circle of associates and corporations, really speaks to the failure of the Executive to take climate change seriously. <BR /> <BR />That having been said, emissions trading schemes have been doing the rounds for a while now, and I am very concerned that this is another way in which to profit from the climate crisis and to avoid taking radical action to reduce carbon emissions. The EU ETS was a failure, and the UK ETS will likely fail as well.”
“Just like Johnson, Minister Poots wants us to believe that he takes environmental issues seriously, but he does not want anyone to mention that we are in a climate emergency, and he may not believe that himself. If he were serious about tackling climate change, he would not be blocking the demand for an independent environmental protection agency, nor would he be holding up the demand for an inquiry into the illegal Mobuoy dump. <BR /> <BR />What goes for Minister Poots goes for the entire Executive, because a decision by the Infrastructure Minister to allow continued industrial dredging of Lough Neagh amounts to an assault on our ecology and a ripping up of the declared climate emergency. It means that any climate Bill that I have signed up to and support will likely be hollow and false from the beginning.”
“We are discussing legislation that was developed in Westminster by Boris Johnson and the Tories. It is worth saying that Mr Johnson wants to appear to be a leader on global environmental policy, but he and his Government are anything but leaders. They are masters of greenwashing and have already broken many of their own environmental promises. Everyone is right to be concerned about how Johnson and his mates may use Brexit to destroy environmental regulations. <BR /> <BR />We should not follow the Tories in developing our climate emergency response, but, just like with our shambolic approach to COVID and welfare reform, it appears that we are.”
“Local brewery workers, just as with hospitality workers, are rolled out by the Executive for the pleasure of tourists in order to encourage them to spend, spend, spend. Now they are asking for help, and they are struggling to find answers as to why they cannot sell their product on their premises. I ask the Minister to address that issue in particular so that those who are affected can get the answers that they need. <BR /> <BR />Finally, I want the Minister to explain and expand on the decision not to remove the surrender principle, which means that licences cannot be obtained if similar facilities exist locally without the surrender of another licence. I do not claim to be an expert, but it seems to me to be pretty out of date and archaic, and it needs to be looked at and addressed. I will leave my comments there.”
“Given the testimony of workers with whom I have engaged, it is important that evidence is there to back that up and that support for workers is in place. <BR /> <BR />I have been contacted, as, I am sure, have other MLAs — some referred to this already — not just by workers and unions but by those who work in and run local breweries. Without dissecting everything that was mentioned, there are issues with hegemony and the tight grip that major international alcohol-producing companies are allowed to hold over the sale of alcohol here. I want to speak to the fact that local breweries have made the case that they should at least be able to offer the sale of their local and unique produce on their premises, beyond the odd taster sample.”
“<BR /> <BR />Workers have been clear that their job can become increasingly difficult and more dangerous during drinking-up time, when they are more likely to be subjected to abuse and violence. The Bill solidifies drinking-up time by providing an extension. The explanatory memorandum goes some way to stress that a balance needs to be struck between restricting opening hours and addressing the dangers of alcohol, but it does so without recognising or addressing the unique dangers faced by staff in particular in the industry. I hope that the Minister can provide some evidence and rationale to back up the need for extra drinking-up time, because I have struggled to find any that takes on board the issues expressed by workers.”
“<BR /> <BR />Moreover, we are concerned that there is no clause that mandates employers to assist workers to get home at unsociable hours, as has been referred to already. As the Minister will be aware, our public transport does not run into the wee hours of the morning, and employees will now be more likely to have to fork out extra for private taxi fares to get home or to walk home at a time when it is unsafe to do so, as many may feel. I am aware that Unite Hospitality is calling for the Bill, which deals with additional permitted opening hours, to be passed with those clauses inserted. It would be helpful to learn whether the Minister has engaged with workers or unions on the issue, because it appears that a divergent position has been reached.”
“Thank you. You will be glad to hear that I am coming on to the Bill specifically. A bit of leeway should be applied to all, in my view, but anyway. <BR /> <BR />I am sure that many will welcome some of the changes in the Bill. In some cases, they are long overdue. I have a concern, however, about the fact that the Bill obviously seeks to extend opening hours without reflecting or addressing the impact that working unsociable hours will have on hospitality workers who are often underpaid as it is. We would prefer to see a clause inserted that mandates employers to provide extra pay for those extra early morning hours, which, if the Bill is passed, workers will have to work. Can the Minister come back to say whether she has considered that point? If she has done so, why has she decided not to put in a clause to address that?”
“Thanks, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I remind the Deputy Speaker that a Member talked about his personal religious views for quite a long time, which he has the right to do.”
“They put their shoulder to the wheel, and it is totally unsurprising in such a situation that cases in the hospitality sector shot up and soon represented one of the highest areas of spread of coronavirus cases across the North. Anyone could have predicted it. <BR /> <BR />We must guarantee that this does not become the reality again, as there appears to be some enthusiasm, from some Ministers in the Executive, to lift restrictions rapidly again, before it is safe to do so. It is imperative that the Minister implements Unite's strategy before then, which would guarantee testing, trade union representation and a bailout package that seeks to financially support those workers until it is safe for them to return to work and the virus has reached elimination levels. With a proper test-and-trace system functioning —.”
“They have developed a hospitality and tourism rescue plan that seeks to address those concerns through a sector-specific job retention scheme, adequate sick pay, routine testing, a proper plan to retain workers and the establishment of a hospitality commission working between employer, union and government. <BR /> <BR />It would be remiss of me not to use this opportunity to urge the Minister to engage with the union and its plan and to support a package for the sector that ensures that it is bailed out of the situation that it has been left in. This sector is relied upon week in, week out in normal times to keep the tourism industry, which the Executive so cherishes, ticking over. They were asked to get back and do that, a few months before they should have been, in my opinion.”
“Many will share my feeling that it is strange to debate the normality of the hospitality sector at this time when the majority of workers in the industry — a large percentage of our overall workforce — are dealing with uncertainty and deep financial concerns. The industry is on the brink of collapse, as some Members alluded to. During the first wave of coronavirus and lockdown, venues shut their doors for good, and workers are unsure about when they will find work again and, worse, when they will receive proper financial security. <BR /> <BR />Those fears and concerns have been addressed particularly well by Unite the Union's hospitality branch, as Miss Woods mentioned.”
“Will the Member agree that it is important that other parties support Unite's hospitality rescue plan? It is an important mechanism to support workers in the COVID period and the looming recession round the corner.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I am happy to be corrected, but my understanding is that the NIEA has not been on-site to investigate concerns. I am happy for him to elaborate on that. Given that 104 concerns about the Mullaghglass site have been raised by residents this year already, which is a fivefold increase from 2018, and given the health concerns raised repeatedly by residents in Lagmore, Mount Eagles and west Belfast more generally, what assurances can the Minister give them that their health is not at risk from potential pollution or noxious gases coming from the site?”
“Thanks to the Minister for her statement. She mentioned the private rented sector and how it has been impacted and how support systems are needed for it. I refer to the Loughran v Piney Rentals judgement that deemed letting fees to be unlawful and a joint ministerial communiqué from her Department — I think that this was before she was in the Department — and the Finance Minister earlier this year that provided further confirmation on the issue. It appears, however, that some letting agents openly continue to charge letting fees and are sometimes rebranding them. What are the Minister and her Department doing to challenge letting agents who charge those fees, and what is being done to support renters who are in a situation in which they feel powerless?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he share my concern that the Minister's approach, maybe to himself sometimes, in his constant obsession towards solecism and attacks towards me are a reflection of a Minister who is not confident with his disastrous handling of the education system throughout the pandemic?”