Danny Baker
West Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Member for giving way. It is a fundamental right to give girls this choice, rather than allowing them it. Does the Member share my frustration with the DUP's position and that of the Minister? They have created a contradiction here. They are even shutting down the debate today by the Minister's not being here.”
“Does the Member agree that it shows the importance of the Education Committee and what we have done here, given that, clearly, by not even showing up today, the Minister has shown that he was never going to do this? He has sent a very clear message to all those young girls out there that he just does not do equality.”
“On Saturday, I was in Lisburn with a number of my colleagues to take part in a leaflet drop across Lisburn and Lagan Valley to promote our Assembly candidate and councillor Declan Lynch. Declan, his wife and mother and I were all subjected to intimidation and sectarian abuse by a number of loyalists.”
“Every Member of the Assembly must be able to go about their job without threats, intimidation or sectarian abuse. The people responsible for that type of behaviour want to drag us back in time. They want to divide us and want hate and fear to dominate, but they will not win.”
“Our commitment and that of Declan Lynch is to work for everyone in Lagan Valley, and that is what he will do every day. <BR /> <BR />I conclude with this: the silence from political leadership in that community is deafening.”
“The very modest ask from Caleb's cause was for the Minister to prioritise preparatory work towards legislation to support those children. That did not happen. In fact, that campaign was gaslighted. That is shameful. As we head towards summer, when families need a bit of respite, it is a postcode lottery when it comes to direct payments.”
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“Our classroom assistants are already doing that. You are missing the point about the misplacement of children and there being no data on children who are on reduced timetables. So many children with additional needs are sitting at home right now because they were placed in the wrong setting. They should be in either a special school or one of the specialised units. So many children have been misplaced because of the failure to plan year-on-year, and that goes back decades. <BR /> <BR />It did not happen overnight. We could plaster the Chamber with SEN strategies. The SEN reform agenda is nothing new; it is just being dressed up again. The problem is that we are not facing up to that. We are not directing priorities to where they should be directed.”
“Too often, they do their work without recognition or respect from, in particular, the Department and the EA, which then take the credit when a school does a great job. Members will see that on school visits. It is not hard to work out. <BR /> <BR />In the past number of weeks, I have placed on record in the Education Committee my concerns about the loss of one-to-one support. Anybody who wants to watch back those meetings or read Hansard will see that senior officials are reluctant — in fact, they will point-blank refuse — to answer simple questions about the removal of that support. They dance on the head of a pin. That is lost on nobody.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />Absolutely. Given that it was announced in a social media post, we know how little the Department cares about classroom assistants and our children with additional needs. <BR /> <BR />We see it when we go into schools. Last week, I was lucky enough to visit Coláiste Feirste, in which I could see the progression being made and the pathways that the teachers, school leaders and classroom assistants provide for our young people. They are creative in doing that, but it is being done without the support of the Minister, his officials or the Education Authority. It is down to the dedication of the classroom assistants. Many of them work well beyond their job description, but they do so for the love of the child and the job. They have second and third jobs just to stay in the profession.”
“They work with pupils who are struggling and encourage them to build confidence and independence. For children with additional needs, classroom assistants can make a huge difference in helping them feel safe, valued and supported. For those reasons, it is vital that we recognise, respect and continue to support classroom assistants in the valuable work that they do every day.”
“I will start by addressing the Member facing me, who said that children need just to be placed: that is the problem. The EA is playing with numbers. That is what it does. Children with additional needs are last in line and are placed in the wrong setting. Those who are there to support them and get them on the pathways that they, like other children, deserve to be on are coming under attack in a cost-cutting exercise. <BR /> <BR />There should be no doubt about the important role that classroom assistants play on the front line in ensuring that our children receive the support that they need to learn, grow and thrive. Our classroom assistants are the cornerstone of the education system in the North. They are often the people who notice long before anyone else that a child is struggling.”
“Does the Member agree that one reason for that is that some children are not placed in the right setting to begin with?”
“I beg to introduce the Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill [NIA 27/22-27], which is a Bill to make provision for direct payments to be made during school holidays to pupils entitled to receive free school meals; and for connected purposes.”
“Minister, I do not think that you are listening to young people at all. I could ask so many questions, but I will ask about AS levels. You intend to scrap the AS level as a stand-alone qualification. What discussions have you had with the universities in Ireland about the loss of that externally recognised year-13 award for students who apply to universities across this island? By the way, Minister, the Leaving Certificate is not totally linear.”
“We need to talk this through and work together on it, because it is going to create more barriers: that has been flagged by school leaders, parents and students. <BR /> <BR />Thank you all for participating in the debate. We probably have enough to get this over the line. We will get out of here a wee bit earlier.”
“It is very clear from one of those consultations that our young people, teachers and parents do not support the removal of AS levels. I would go as far as saying that we should not remove coursework either. It is not just about them getting the qualification; it is a barrier to young people getting on that pathway. They might be put off from doing A levels, because there is far more pressure when there are just one or two exams at the end of two years. Some of our young people do not test well and do not like that, so that is not fair. <BR /> <BR />I know that only one Minister can respond to the debate, but this was an opportunity to talk about the issue, and I wish that the Education Minister was here.”
“You will all be glad to hear that I will not take 10 minutes. <BR /> <BR />It has been a good debate. Most people agreed that we need to remove barriers and make opportunities seamless, but work is very much needed. I could talk all day and not convince the TUV of the benefits of removing barriers between North and South. <BR /> <BR />As someone who sits on the Education Committee and who talks regularly to young people through youth clubs, I can say that we are talking about the barriers that exist right now. We need to remove them. A real big one that is coming down the line could be the changes that the Minister of Education wants to bring in through TransformED. Proposals are being made at a fast pace, drowning school leaders with consultation after consultation; there is no question about that.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“It is a mixed message. It is not fair on Alma.”
“Following that, Minister, will you reconsider what you said in the media two weeks ago, which was that you would not have time to legislate on Caleb's cause? Caoimhe Archibald has done what she can do with her piece of the puzzle in creating post-19 pathways. It is now time for the Department of Health to step up. Now that it is clear that there is time, will you give a commitment to work towards that? If you cannot, will you, at the very least, lay the groundwork for it in the next mandate?”
“You are talking about constrained budgets. Let us take the example of the Education Minister. Do you agree that spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a mobile phone gimmick is not a good use of public money?”
“for that answer, Minister. Our ties with the US go beyond the current Administration: will you provide a wee bit more detail on your planned visit to the US in the coming weeks?”
“Should the GAA and West Belfast not be ambitious and want to have the very best delivered for Casement Park and West Belfast? We could have had the Euros. We could have had something magnificent that would have brought so many people to this wee part of the world, but we fell short of that. You sound almost like Timothy: you are running down West Belfast, Gerry, and it is ridiculous to listen to.”
“Elon Musk and the other billionaires are responsible, not our young people.”
“That was evident from the Netflix show 'Adolescence', which showed the meaning of a kidney bean emoji in the context of toxic masculinity, violence against women and girls and all of that. I guarantee that none of us would have known what that meant, but our young people did. Let us not push them down that path. We need education, and we need to work together. At this point, let us keep the focus on those who are responsible: the big firms —.”
“Young people know about VPNs, but I did a quick questionnaire on WhatsApp with my parents and their friends, and very few of them knew what a VPN was. When I asked them about social media, everything came full circle. Everyone was nostalgic and wanted to go back to the days when there were no phones, saying, "Was it not way better back then?". <BR /> <BR />That is the problem: if you do not do it right, you end up putting our young people in greater danger. It is so important that we have the conversation, but we have to be realistic: if we do not understand social media, there is a wider implication. I thought that I had a good handle on our young people and social media in general, but — this is why WhatsApp is important — we do not even know the meaning of emojis.”
“For anyone who does not know what a VPN is, it allows you to dip into a server anywhere in the world, which exposes your smartphone to the unforeseen consequences of downloading different data. Certain countries may not have such good regulation, which could expose someone to the darker side of the web, opening corridors to graphic pornography and exposure to all that is wrong with the internet. <BR /> <BR />Do you know who does not know about VPNs? Parents. It is very easy to test that. Last week, in preparation for the debate, I went down to our youth club, and we did workshops with our 11- to 16-year olds. Every one of them identified that they need protection, but they felt that that should come from the companies. Young people should not be talked down to; they should be talked with, supported and guided through this.”
“The focus today needs to be on the big social media companies. When we have this conversation, everyone says that they want the best for our young people, but the conversation quickly delves into social media and smartphones. What is the definition of social media? If you have that conversation with young people, they will tell you that it means Snapchat, WhatsApp and playing Playstation, Roblox and Fortnite. Those all involve interactions in the wider world and all have dangers. <BR /> <BR />Our young people want protection, but they also want the right to participate. They want to be connected to their peers. Imposing outright bans and restrictions, in isolation, will cause unforeseen consequences. All our young people know about VPNs and how to access them through a quick, 30-second download.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Children being tutored to that test flies in the face of academic selection. The Chair of the Education Committee said the same thing. We need to stop chasing league tables. We need to start looking at the future of our young people, and that means every one of them. We need to support all of our school leaders, because, as I said at the start, too many schools are doing the heavy lifting, and it is just not fair. It breeds inequality, and we have to stamp it out because that is what we are here to do. We are meant to be leaders in doing that, and we need to support all of our children.”
“<BR /> <BR />Despite all the evidence and research on the impact that it has on our young people, I have no faith that the Minister will address it, because he picks and chooses evidence to suit his narrative. In recent months, the Minister has outlined his plans to make substantial changes to A levels and GCSEs, and he is on record saying that pupils are being over-tested in schools and that he plans to remove teaching to the test. He said at our Education Committee:”
“<BR /> <BR />I have shared my story before, and I am proud to share it, because it inspires other young people. When I was Mayor of Belfast, I made a wee video. I set my phone down afterwards, and it went viral. A family reached out to me to say that their young lad had failed and had not left his room for three days. That is what the test does. The child had not left his room. I invited the family down to the parlour and said, "If I can get here, anyone can get here". Last year, the young lad wrote to me to say that he had got all of his GCSEs. You may take that as a success story, and it is, but, again, he got lucky. It should not be like that. We should all be able to get the same education and the same pathway, and the exam does not do that because it makes us feel like failures.”
“That is why I said that I got lucky. I could easily have fallen through the cracks like many young boys whom I went to school with. Some of them, sadly, are no longer with us. No, I do not recognise that. I really do not. <BR /> <BR />I did not have the opportunities that other ones might have had who took the different pathway of grammar school. It is how you feel. It is that feeling of failure, and that stays with many young people throughout their whole educational career or pathway or whatever you want to call it. That has a knock-on effect. The evidence shows all of that. The Children's Commissioner and the Children's Law Centre will tell you that. All of the evidence will tell you that it fails all of our young people. It works for some, yes, absolutely.”
“<BR /> <BR />We took part in the Speaker's Book Week event, and I remembered reading 'The Lord of the Rings' one summer back in the 1990s. That was the first book — it was a big book — that I read from start to finish. It engulfed me and made me believe that I could do A levels. I went on and did really well in my A levels. Some of my friends whom I grew up with went to grammar schools but did not come out with the same A levels as I did. I went on to get a degree and then to do a trade, and then I found my way here.”
“It was because I went to school that had teachers who looked out for all the kids. That is why I intervened earlier to say that the same schools are doing the heavy lifting. <BR /> <BR />There were a lot of challenges in my school. It was not simply about getting the books out and getting your GCSEs: there was so much more going on. Grammar schools probably do not have to face that. It is great that their school leaders get those grades, but many of our schools are getting young people from a grade E or F to a grade C. That is how it was with me. I went from the prospect of having no GCSEs, except for maybe the practical ones — art and PE — that I was good at, to getting the rest of them by the skin of my teeth. That is what I meant about having a bit of luck. You build confidence with that bit of luck.”
“I do not know how to follow that. Maybe the Ulster Unionist Party need a more robust leadership content. <BR /> <BR />Academic selection warps our whole education system. You do not want any child to feel like a failure. You want to give them all the best opportunities in life. However, the reality is that this is not about grammar schools or comprehensive schools; it is about a process that makes you feel like a failure. I do not have to go too far to find that, because it made me feel like a failure when I did the 11-plus back in 1993. It took a long process for me to get to where I am today. Some might say, "He is talking nonsense. That is about privilege: he is an MLA and a former mayor". I got lucky, but not everybody gets lucky; they really do not. That luck did not come from one particular thing.”
“Does the Member not agree that the same schools are doing all the heavy lifting? If some schools take on all the children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, those who face inequalities, those with special educational needs and newcomer children, that is really unfair and makes it difficult for those children to get on the same education pathways.”
“Minister, you appear to be heavily reliant on the opt-out system under the new guidance. Do you not agree that the best possible scenario is one where all children are supported in an inclusive curriculum?”
“Minister, I welcome that. What has been the cause of the delay? Back in March 2024, you told me that the regulations were in the final stages of drafting, and then officials told me back in the autumn that we would have them before Christmas.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. What steps are being taken to promote employee ownership models as a means of supporting good jobs and long-term economic resilience?”
“Thank you for your statement, Minister. Can you provide any further detail on greater cooperation with the South on special educational needs?”
“Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Do you agree that there needs to be increased protection for transgender people who are subjected to hate crimes?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. What is the Minister's assessment of the recent 25% increase in the rate that Departments, including the Justice Department, pay counsel that they instruct? Does that provide evidence of what an appropriate increase for publicly funded work might look like?”
“Go raibh maith agat. Thank you for your answer. Your proposals also suggest support for other stadia. Will you elaborate on that?”
“How are the capital allocations supporting Education?”
“Minister, can you guarantee that no child will be impacted? A letter went out just before Christmas asking for a 10% cut. Can you guarantee that, should a taxi man give back their run for it to go back out for procurement, no child will miss a day of school because of that?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer and for putting inclusion and equality at the heart of what she does. Will the Minister consider extending the half-fare pass for disabled people to full fare?”
“Recent statistics show that 38% of households living in poverty include a person with a disability, which highlights disability as a real risk factor that can contribute to a person's falling into poverty. What new measures aimed at tackling disability-related poverty will flow from the strategy?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. The Colin area is the wee part of the world that I live in and represent. We benefited greatly from Urban Villages, especially after we came into the Belfast City Council area after decades of neglect when we were under the Lisburn council. Will the deputy First Minister provide an update on phase 2 of the initiative?”
“Yesterday, my friend Tuathlaith ran 52 miles and cycled a further 52 miles in an ultramarathon to raise money for mobile maternity units in Gaza. That is an unbelievable achievement, and much-needed money will go to the front line in Gaza. Unfortunately, because of Israeli bombs and genocide, children are being born not in hospitals but in tents with limited medical equipment and medicine. Imagine if your wife or partner had to bring your child into the world in that unsafe environment. <BR /> <BR />Despite the ceasefire, over 400 Palestinians have been killed, and two children were murdered just the other day. Members and Ministers should remember that when they praise the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), take visits from the Israeli Government and justify visiting the occupied territories. It is absolutely shameful.”
“Saturday was International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Over 100,000 people marched in London, and there were large rallies in Belfast and Dublin.”
“That is what families need and it is what children need to reach their full potential. In the remaining 18 months that we have in this place, I hope that we can deliver legislation that will help people. Then, in the next mandate, we can go even further. That is what we need to do.”
“When we run the schemes — we run them in Lagmore, but I know that they are run in Monkstown and across the country — we see what the children face. In the summer, we had an eight-year-old wee lad who was filling his pockets with food to bring home to his sibling, because there was not enough food in the cupboards at home. If that eight-year-old is facing that challenge, how do we expect him to go to school and achieve what other children are achieving. It is not going to happen. <BR /> <BR />We must work together across the Chamber to make sure that we prioritise our budgets. I hope that Members support me when I bring my Bill to the house. It will cost money to deliver on the Bill's provisions, but, with all due respect to the motions that come here for debate — they are important in highlighting issues — we need action.”
“<BR /> <BR />We need Ministers to be in listening mode, particularly the Minister for Communities, His anti-poverty strategy does not go far enough. That has been well documented by those at the coalface. When we come back in the new year, I hope that we see a recommitment and desire to be partners and to work together to deliver for the people in all our communities who are suffering. <BR /> <BR />I wanted to sponsor a private Member's Bill to end holiday hunger because of what I have seen in my volunteer youth work. We run a number of programmes throughout the summer months, when we see a rise in what would be described as, for want of a better term, antisocial behaviour. A lot of our children are crying out for attention and help, and it comes down to poverty.”
“Sadly, that will not go far enough: it will not bring down the cost of the average post-primary uniform. Far from it. We are going to face that challenge time and time again, rather than working together, listening to the evidence of those who are in the sector and delivering something tangible. <BR /> <BR />I hope that, with a fair wind, my private Member's Bill will be before the House early in the new year. I hope that everyone will support it, because I want to end holiday hunger. The Bill will impact on 90,000 children. While it will not be the panacea for the problems that we have in this place or a silver bullet for tackling child poverty, it will go some way in doing that. It will be one piece of a very wide puzzle.”
“I thank the Member for proposing this very important motion. Sadly, we have debated this issue, and the relevant statistics, a lot in the near two years since we have been back. There is a lot of support around the House for addressing the issue. However, we have not had action. We cannot have any more missed opportunities. There are Ministers in post. We know that there are constraints because of the Budget, how we are set up and austerity, but Ministers have a budget, and they should be prioritising those who need it the most. We cannot have those missed opportunities. Families are feeling the cost of education. In the past number of weeks, the School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill completed its passage through the Assembly.”