Nicola Brogan
West Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Rinne muid Lá Idirnáisiúnta an Aistriúcháin a cheiliúradh an mhí seo a chuaigh thart. Tugtar seans dúinn an lá sin leis an obair thábhachtach, fhiúntach a dhéanann fir agus mná teanga ar fud an domhain a cheiliúradh.”
“Tugann sé seans do na daoine a bhfuil na teangacha sin acu a gcuid a bheith acu den tsaol anseo agus a bhuíochas sin ar na haistritheoirí agus na hateangairí.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mar sin de, a Cheann Comhairle, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na haistritheoirí agus na hateangairí uile go léir, bíodh siad ag obair in institiúidí polaitíochta nó amuigh fríd na daoine sna hotharlanna agus sna cúirteanna.”
“<BR /> <BR />Despite an extremely tight budget that continues to be stripped to the bone by consecutive British Governments, investment in waste water infrastructure is continuing. NI Water is getting 90% of the capital money that it could spend this year, which is an increase from last year.”
“The appeal has been supported by the AERA Minister and is due to be heard this December. <BR /> <BR />I have said this before and will say it again: we need to continue to work together to ensure that the A5 is delivered.”
“Minister Kimmins and her predecessor, Minister O'Dowd, have fought tooth and nail for the progression of the A5 road upgrade. As a representative of West Tyrone and someone who uses the road daily, I appreciate the Minister's commitment to that vital project.”
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“The Strule Shared Education Campus will transform education provision and provide great opportunities for young people throughout West Tyrone. As you have already said, the development of the campuses has had lengthy delays. Will you ensure that the campus is still a top priority for your Department?”
“<BR /> <BR />I am happy to support the motion.”
“<BR /> <BR />I recognise the particular challenges faced over the course of the pandemic by children and young people with special educational needs and their families. In the aftermath of the first lockdown, the Education Committee received testimony from families of children with special educational needs and their support organisations. Those families were essentially abandoned by the system. They had all support taken away from them, and they were left in a truly difficult situation. I am glad that, after that, the political parties came together in support of keeping special schools open during subsequent lockdowns and that vital support and education continued for our most vulnerable children. However, the impact of the first wave on that sector was severe, so they must now feature centrally in the wider education recovery strategy.”
“Because they made such huge sacrifices throughout the pandemic, they now deserve to have their efforts recognised and to be supported by all of us as we emerge from the latest COVID restrictions. <BR /> <BR />Other Members referenced the dithering and delay of DUP Education Ministers throughout the pandemic. It is important to reiterate the consequences that that has had on the mental health and well-being of our children and young people. <BR /> <BR />I know that an emotional health and well-being framework was intended to address those issues, but it was developed prior to COVID. Given the new dimension the pandemic has created, I ask the Minister to urgently take another look at that plan and to update it to reflect the issues that have arisen since the onset of the pandemic.”
“The main issues they highlighted at that session were the increase in anxiety and stress felt by the student population because of uncertainty about how exams would be carried out; the difficulties of remote learning, as I mentioned; loneliness and isolation from their peers; at that time, uncertainty about returning to school; and a fear of bringing COVID home to their loved ones. <BR /> <BR />In November and December of last year, the Secondary Students' Union carried out a survey of over 2,000 students. Some 76% of respondents said that they experienced mental health problems. That is a really a startling statistic. The young people made it really clear that more needs to be done to support them and their mental health.”
“Also in her evidence to the Committee, she noted that there is a link between prolonged stress in childhood, mental illness and poor educational performance. Really, it is quite simple: if our children are not OK mentally, they will not be able to maximise their learning potential. <BR /> <BR />On 10 March this year, the Committee hosted a group of young people who represented the Belfast Youth Forum, the Secondary Students' Union, Pure Mental, Crisis Cafe, the Commissioner for Children and Young People Youth Panel and the NI Youth Forum. That group of young people provided us with an insight to the challenges they were facing because of COVID-19 and, in particular, the disruption to their education.”
“The Deputy Chair of the Committee, my colleague Pat Sheehan, asked her whether she agreed with his assessment that children and young people faced a tsunami of mental health challenges as a consequence of the pandemic. She, of course, agreed with that.”
“I am sure that all Members across the House heard from families who were totally stressed out and really struggled to support their children to perform throughout that period of at-home learning, and we heard that some Members had first-hand experience of those challenges. With poor Wi-Fi connectivity in so many rural areas, like mine in west Tyrone, a lack of IT devices or both, students, teachers and families faced major changes and challenges to their learning and lives. <BR /> <BR />I will take the opportunity in the debate to focus on the effect that the pandemic had on children and young people and their emotional health and well-being, which cannot be overstated. Earlier in the year, the mental health champion, Professor Siobhán O'Neill, attended the Education Committee.”
“I welcome the opportunity to debate this matter. I thank my Committee colleagues and Mr McGrath for tabling the motion. I will, of course, support the motion. <BR /> <BR />There is no doubt that the pandemic has had a massive effect on children and young people. Although everyone throughout society suffered, our children and young people had to shoulder an enormous burden from the very beginning. Their school lives and education were turned upside-down in an instant, when they were instructed to stay at home and begin at-home learning. That presented a unique set of challenges to pupils, teachers and parents.”
“In your answers, Minister, you discussed the holiday at home voucher scheme, and you said that you would consider it again. When it was first announced, concerns were raised about its delivery on a first come, first served basis, as that may discriminate against low-income families and those with poor internet connectivity. Have you addressed those concerns?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Will he also detail the latest figures that have been produced regarding the level of redress payments that have been made to date?”
“It is a positive step that the definition has been expanded to include a child having heard or witnessed harm done to others, but we need to consider broadening that further. A child does not need to witness ill treatment by sight or sound to be affected by it. <BR /> <BR />The Bill's passage to Committee Stage will allow greater scrutiny and rigorous examination of what it hopes to achieve against what it is likely to achieve. It will allow expert opinion to be sought, and it will allow any difficulties to be identified and addressed. I support the Bill's progress to Committee Stage and encourage other Members to do the same.”
“<BR /> <BR />Adoption, however, is one of the most serious interventions that can be made in a family's life, and that is why the Assembly must be serious about getting the legislation right. I will raise a couple of issues that should be explored further at Committee Stage, if the Bill gets that far. <BR /> <BR />In the context of the island of Ireland, more consideration of cross-border adoption is required, particularly where there are familial ties. It is important that the Minister, and the Committee members who scrutinise the legislation, ensure that families in the Twenty-six Counties are not disadvantaged by having to pay adoption fees, particularly in border areas. Another issue that needs to be explored further is the definition of "harm".”
“In the past, decisions were made for children rather than with children. There is greater recognition today not only that children have a voice but that their voice deserves and needs to be heard and heeded. I am glad that the Bill shares that recognition. The Bill adopts a more inclusive notion of what constitutes a loving family. In the past, decisions around adoption were often shaped by narrow and outdated definitions of what constituted a family. I am glad that the Bill addresses that. The Bill intends to tackle the undue delays that leave children and young people in care in unsettled and insecure placements for far too long. Research has highlighted the damaging impacts that delays in the adoption process can have. All those factors are welcome.”
“<BR /> <BR />Adoption is only one of a number of possible interventions. Where adoption is appropriate, however, the adoption process must meet modern standards as well as be underpinned by best practice. Our current adoption legislation is 35 years old, while the Children Order 1995 is over 20 years old. In that time, one of the most significant changes has been the progressive development of rights-based policy. In 2013, a successful legal challenge led to the lifting of the ban on unmarried and same-sex couples applying to adopt. I am glad that the Bill recognises that their right to adopt is the same as that of other couples. <BR /> <BR />I welcome other parts of the Bill, starting with its recognition of the need to listen to children and to consider their needs.”
“<BR /> <BR />The number of children and young people in care has grown steadily over the past decade. Numbers have increased significantly during the pandemic as well. There is a clear link among growing economic hardship, family breakdown and children in need of care. As we face another period of Westminster-imposed cuts and austerity, it is likely that the number of children in need of intervention will continue to increase. Many children who are adopted here come from the care system, and children who are in need of care have already experienced difficulties and hardships in their life. Outcomes for children in the care system continue to fall below those of their peers. I am sure that all Members agree that anything that we can do to improve the experience and outcomes for children who are in need of care is of vital importance.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing the Bill to the Assembly. As the Sinn Féin spokesperson on children and young people, I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. There is no doubt that this is a substantial piece of legislation and that it is long overdue. It is hugely important and will affect many children, young people and families. I welcome today's debate and support the Bill's proceeding to Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />Recent investigations into the history of mother-and-baby homes have exposed what can happen when the best interests of the child are overlooked and others' interests are prioritised. As we consider the Bill, it is worth remembering that the onus is on us, as legislators, to ensure that, going forward, adoption law is properly child-centred.”
“Another significant issue relating to the planning process in housing is unadopted roads. The Minister will know that, before recess, the Assembly passed a motion calling for action to address issues around unadopted roads, specifically with regard to people getting access to services such as gritting and bin collection. Will the Minister give us an update on measures that have been taken to resolve those problems, please?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Following on from that, will the Minister give an update on the introduction of the multi-annual Budget process?”
“I thank the junior Minister for his answer. Does he agree that the North/South bodies are an integral part of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, alongside the Executive and Assembly, and that the DUP boycott of those bodies not only undermines the agreement but does a huge disservice to the people whom that party claims to represent?”
“As a result of the disruption caused by COVID-19, we have found alternative ways to award qualifications to young people, including children moving from primary school to post-primary school. With disruption to individual learning likely to continue through the year, will the Minister put children first, scrap transfer tests and find a method of post-primary transfer that allows all children to reach their full potential?”
“If the Bill passes to Committee Stage, I would like Health Committee members to address the specific issue of shortened school days and the question of how the Bill will support the educational needs of children with autism. I support the Bill's passing to the next stage.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention. He is right: that did happen. I support autism training for teachers. There are many benefits of such training, particularly for children and their families. <BR /> <BR />I support the Bill, but I have some concerns about the lack of reference to the educational needs of children and young people with autism. I have been contacted recently by constituents with concerns about their children with autism having been put on shortened days and reduced timetables at nursery and at school. That is really concerning, because, yet again, we are letting down our autistic children and their families. That will have an immediate and detrimental effect on children with autism and their families, so it needs to be addressed urgently.”
“The Education Committee heard evidence at the beginning of the year from families and organisations that are campaigning to end the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. We heard some really distressing testimonies about children with a range of additional needs, including autistic children, who had experienced those incidents. It was suggested that adequate training and proper de-escalation techniques for children with autism is one way to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion practices in school settings. For that reason, comprehensive autism training for teachers and teaching staff is definitely a good idea.”
“<BR /> <BR />As has been mentioned, clause 2 calls for autism training for civil servants and staff in all public bodies to be included in the autism strategy. Mr McCrossan mentioned the importance of autism training for staff in the police. I completely agree with that, but, as a member of the Education Committee, I am more focused on training for teachers. I will not get into the debate on whether autism training should be mandatory. The Chairperson of the Education Committee said that there were differences in opinion, and there are. I think that the Children's Commissioner is not fully behind making autism training mandatory, but it is a really important point. <BR /> <BR />When I think of autism training specifically in schools, the use of restraint and seclusion is the first thing that springs to my mind.”
“Clause 1 suggests that the Department will be obliged to consult other Departments and persons before preparing an autism strategy. That is key. It is crucial to engage with wider stakeholders and, most importantly, people with autism, their families and their carers, along with other outside groups, so that their lived experiences are reflected in future autism strategies. It is fair to say that those who have autism or who assist a person with autism and have that lived experience are best placed to identify gaps in services and to highlight the supports that they find most beneficial and those that need more development. The meaningful involvement of children with autism, their families, their carers and others in developing policy and services is critical, moving forward. Their voices need to be heard loud and clear.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, and I absolutely agree. One of the benefits of having all-party groups is hearing evidence from different sectors and parties at play and seeing how things affect them. We should definitely consider how siblings of children with autism are affected. Thank you for that. <BR /> <BR />Although my comments will focus on children and young people, I appreciate that adults with autism need increased support as well. I want to mention the fact that I have worked closely with families throughout West Tyrone, and the work that they do is really important. I fully support their calls for increased services for adults with autism. <BR /> <BR />There are a couple of points that I will raise about the Bill.”
“I am Sinn Féin spokesperson for children and young people and a member of the Education Committee, so much of my commentary will focus on the needs of autistic children, but I want to make it clear that I believe that there should be increased support for adults with autism as well. I have worked closely with families, carers and groups throughout West Tyrone —.”
“The support and guidance offered to parents and carers of young children in the North is inadequate and severely lacking. <BR /> <BR />We often hear of the importance of early intervention when it comes to supporting and developing our children, as has been mentioned already today. However, the system as it stands is completely failing children with autism and their families, especially when there are such lengthy delays to get the initial assessment. We need to ensure that early intervention is embedded in the health and social care system and the education system. I am happy to support the Bill because it will go some way to addressing those huge shortcomings, but there is still a lot of work to be done beyond the Bill.”
“They, like countless families throughout the Western Trust, have faced lengthy delays in accessing an autism assessment. I have witnessed at first hand the distress, anxiety and worry that the family has faced because of those delays and the frustration and exhaustion that come with that. That is simply to get an assessment and a correct diagnosis so that they know what support and services their child will require. For them, the journey is just beginning. They have already faced massive hurdles getting to this stage. At the start, they were told that their child was much too young to be assessed or diagnosed, and then they were advised by other people that early intervention is key. It has become a real minefield for parents and carers of young children especially.”
“I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Bill, and I thank the Bill sponsor, Pam Cameron, for bringing it to the Assembly. It is evident that people with autism in the North and their families and carers face severe difficulties in accessing the support, resources and proper services that they need. The support that is available throughout the North is wholly inadequate. I am glad that there is widespread support for the Bill. I am happy to support its passage through to Committee Stage. I hope that it strengthens future autism strategies and that it will make a real difference to the lives of autistic children and adults. <BR /> <BR />I also declare an interest, as a family close to me is awaiting an autism assessment for their child.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. Recent figures that have been provided by police forces across Britain and in the North indicate that there has been a 16% rise in online child sex abuse cases. Has the Minister had any input to the British Government's online legislation? If not, has she made any representation to show the importance of that issue?”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, and I absolutely agree with it. <BR /> <BR />Going back to my speech, there has also been a lack of urgency in relation to the most basic of measures: replacing windows that do not open either by design or because of disrepair. The Minister surely knows that ventilation is most difficult in our oldest school buildings. <BR /> <BR />Finally, we all know the importance of children attending school. We all want pupils in school and classrooms to be up and running, but we also know that schools need proper support to remain open safely during the pandemic, so I urge every Member here to support our schools and our teachers by supporting the motion.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, but we have now moved on to ventilation, which is another major issue.”
“One minute, please. <BR /> <BR />If classrooms had been given the technology, staff would be able to take immediate action to address a build-up of poor-quality air through simple measures such as taking an open-air break while the classroom is aired. In classrooms where CO2 alarms repeatedly register poor air quality, additional measures such as the introduction of ventilation systems of air filters could be considered.”
“No measures were introduced to monitor air quality, and no action was taken to improve poor airflows. Unlike in other jurisdictions, there were no plans to fund and acquire CO2 alarms. While the Welsh Minister for Education invested millions in providing schools with that technology, our Minister issued advice to open windows and doors if possible. What if it is not possible? What should our schools do in that eventuality? Did the Minister have any plans in place? If classrooms had been given the technology, staff would be able to take immediate action to address a build-up of poor-quality air — .”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee has been told repeatedly that the Minister and the Department are working closely with the Department of Health and other relevant bodies, yet, during a long summer recess with more than eight weeks to plan and prepare, measures have not been put in place to ensure that our children return to a safe and secure new term. The Minister is not dealing with something totally unknown: the virus has been around for some time now, and lessons should have been learned. It is not hard to understand that, if we are relaxing some restrictions and increasing interaction in schools, other measures need to be in place. For example, with an airborne virus, if other interventions are relaxed, ventilation will move up the priority list. Schools were empty for weeks, but the Minister did not initiate risk assessments.”
“It is not working for the school leaders, the teachers or the parents, but, most importantly, it is not working for the pupils, whose education is once again being affected. A distraught principal in my area contacted me to offer some insight into the challenges that they face. This is just one example, but it offers some insight. I was told that a mum tested positive over the weekend. As required by the guidance, her children were given a PCR test. The results were negative, so the children attended school on Monday and Tuesday before one of them then tested positive. Three more children in the same group have now tested positive. We need a different, more robust process.”
“It seems, following robust questioning by Pat Sheehan at the Education Committee yesterday, that the Department of Education did not contact the PHA to prepare for and facilitate increased testing. Within days of the new term, an emergency mobile testing unit had to be hastily deployed to deal with the hundreds of pupils requiring polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in Larne. In many areas, parents reported difficulties in accessing PCR tests for children, and some families were directed to testing centres many miles away, making it impossible for those without transport to access tests. Again, with the correct planning and preparation, that could have been avoided. <BR /> <BR />I have engaged with many principals, school leaders and parents in my constituency of West Tyrone. All agreed that the guidance is not working.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, but it is, I believe, the job of the Education Minister to make sure that those practices are in place. In that regard, I encourage ongoing engagement and communication between the Education Minister, the PHA and school leaders to ensure that the shift is implemented correctly. <BR /> <BR />The tracking and tracing of COVID cases in schools is not the only problem: COVID testing for schoolchildren has become a huge issue as well. With the return to school, a rise in the number of cases was widely anticipated. Additional planning to ensure that children identified as close contacts could access testing as quickly and efficiently as possible would have been fundamental to achieving the stated aim of keeping our children safe in school and minimising disruption.”
“Although that move was certainly welcome, we must make sure that those duties are carried out correctly by the PHA and that the burden is removed from principals and school leaders.”
“Principals had repeatedly warned that leaving the administration of tracking and tracing COVID cases to schools was overwhelming and undermined the ability of principals to do their own job. The Minister failed to recognise that until yesterday. Worse still, the guidance attempted to shift even more responsibility onto principals. It suggested that schools could choose to bypass the PHA and directly inform pupils identified as a close contact with a positive case. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, on the eve of the debate, the Minister was finally shamed into shifting track and trace responsibility from school principals and, in line with other jurisdictions, returning it to the PHA.”
“Within days of that engagement, increasing reports of pupil absences due to the COVID-19 situation in our schools confirmed the concerns raised by those trade union reps. Of 700 pupils attending Larne High School, more than 400 were told to stay at home. Within days of trying to implement the Minister's Restart, teachers were reporting difficulties in keeping children safe and in school, and the scale of the disarray became increasingly apparent. <BR /> <BR />Principals reported their struggles to report cases to the PHA, desperately trying to use dedicated phone lines that were often unavailable for hours. In all other jurisdictions, track and trace is handled directly by public health.”
“I am sure that we all agree that the best place for our children and young people is at school with their peers, but they must be safe, and their families must be confident in their safety. It is hard to believe that, within a couple of weeks of schools reopening, the situation is in such disarray that the Assembly has had to be recalled. <BR /> <BR />Last week, the Education Committee heard evidence directly from teaching representatives. They told us in no uncertain terms that the enormous burden being placed on principals and school leaders was unsustainable and unfair. They had serious concerns about the adequacy of the guidance issued by the Minister and gave numerous examples of where support to implement that guidance was lacking.”
“First, I thank my colleague and Deputy Chair of the Education Committee, Pat Sheehan, for initiating this emergency sitting of the Assembly, and I thank all Members who supported his petition to do so. <BR /> <BR />I imagine that all Members, across the Assembly, have been inundated with correspondence from principals, school leaders, teachers and parents of pupils who have raised grave concerns about the complete chaos that schools have been left to face since restarting this term. It is important that we take the time to raise those concerns on behalf of schools and parents and on behalf of the children and young people, who, yet again, face huge disruption to their education and daily life because of the poor planning and preparation of our Education Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />Only 7% of children currently attend integrated schools, so there is certainly room for growth. Choice, including parental choice, is important, and parents who wish to send their children to an integrated school should be supported. At the same time, respect for diversity includes recognition of faith-based schooling as a valid choice. <BR /> <BR />We should recognise the aspirations of the Bill and give it a fair hearing. We should work together to identify any difficulties in it and seek to overcome them. I support the Bill's passing Second Stage.”
“Indeed, during many difficult times, our schools have provided an escape for children. They have been a place in which young people could grow and flourish. In the past, schools offered one of the few spaces in a hostile, mono-identity state in which the Irish identity could be recognised and respected. <BR /> <BR />Particularly in the wake of the current pandemic, we look to schools to deliver well-being, to support the mental health of our children and young people and to aid recovery following the hardship of lockdown. Appalling statistics on the sexual harassment of girls have recently come out of England in an Ofsted report and in a report from the Girlguiding charity. We look to our schools to provide modern and meaningful relationships and sexuality education that also delivers respect and understanding of diversity.”
“That is a sound basis on which any society can build. The Bill deserves consideration, and that is why I will support its getting a Committee Stage. There are weaknesses in it, however, and we will need to address them if it gets to Committee Stage. <BR /> <BR />This is a good opportunity to recognise the great work that our schools have already undertaken. Many already offer excellent education outcomes for our children, and they do so by having an ethos of respect, mutual understanding and social justice. Amongst them are non-selective, all-ability schools. <BR /> <BR />It is important to recognise that, across our schools, a great deal of good and progressive work is already under way. It is important to note also that sectarianism is a historical and political problem, not an education one.”
“That is what the Bill states, and it goes on to identify diversity as being:”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. It has been very lively so far. <BR /> <BR />The Bill's key aim is something that we should all be able to support, and that is the intention to promote, protect and improve:”