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.”
The complete record
Every one of 366 lines we hold for Danny Baker, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of parcels distributed by food banks, representing a record level of need. Families and children are over-represented in the numbers who turn to food banks. <BR /> <BR />The demand for emergency food for children and young people increases during school holidays due to extra financial pressures. In April 2023, as a result of budget cuts, funding for the school holiday food grant scheme ended. The Trussell Trust reported that it gave 49% more food parcels to families in July and August of that year. <BR /> <BR />The provision of free school meals enables many children to access a nutritious meal, which, in some cases, is their main meal of the day.”
“I thank the Members for tabling this important motion. Many families, children and young people are being impacted on by the increasing cost of living. Rising food, energy and transport costs are having a profoundly negative impact on many. As a result of those pressures, families with children and young people have had to cut back on the essentials. The attainment gap between children and young people who grow up in poverty and their peers starts early and lasts throughout their school years. <BR /> <BR />Early intervention and preventative action are needed urgently to help tackle child poverty. Every effort should be made to reduce the cost of sending children and young people to school and to remove the barriers faced by children and young people who live in poverty. The facts on the ground do not lie.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. On that basis, Minister, will you give further reassurance to classroom assistants that you will continually consult with their trade unions and ensure that their pay and conditions and future pathways reflect their vital role in the classroom?”
“Minister. What is your thinking on carers leave?”
“Minister, I agree that real change is needed. For far too long, families have had to fight daily for the support that their children deserve. Children with special educational needs have been failed. Due to the lack of special schools, children who should have a place do not, and they have been placed in a specialist provision in mainstream schools (SPiM) place. Does the Minister share my concern that, because of that, those children may not get the support that they need and that other children who may have moderate learning difficulties are being placed in mainstream classrooms? What steps will the SEN reform agenda take to ensure that all children get the support that they need?”
“Thank you, Minister, for the statement on that important initiative. I suppose that you have sort of answered my question, which just follows up on the importance of the devices being registered. There were some in my community that were not registered. After we got them registered, they were used within a week to save lives. I know that you have spoken about this a wee bit, but how can we guarantee that priority will be given to making the devices accessible for community use outside of school hours? Schools are in the heart of our communities. The more devices we have, the more lives we will save.”
“Does the Minister agree that the new Grand Central station will be key to improving connectivity across the island?”
“However, it is a fundamental first step that must be taken on the journey to addressing child poverty and meeting objective need. As I said, by working together, we can help to assure families, ease that pressure and ensure that no child goes hungry, no matter the time of year. The consultation and survey on my Member's Bill have gone live today. I would like Members to help out and contribute by filling in the survey. I look forward to working with everybody on the Bill.”
“Sinn Féin looks forward to responding to that review, and we are open to exploring all the options for increasing the number of children and young people who are able to access free school meals and uniform grants. The Minister's announcement of an interim change to the eligibility criteria for families applying for free school meals and uniform grants was a welcome step in the right direction and will help workers and families to access support. <BR /> <BR />Tackling poverty and social exclusion and patterns of deprivation, based on objective need, is woven into the Good Friday Agreement, and legislating to end holiday hunger is underpinned by that principle. I fully accept that ending holiday hunger for only those children who are in receipt of free school meals will not go far enough.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister will be aware that, due to the cuts imposed from London, our education system has limited resources. We should be targeting that additional funding to where it is needed the most. Unfortunately, based on my correspondence with the Minister, I know that he has no intention of legislating to end holiday hunger. Hopefully, that has changed. Much work is needed in the time ahead. A number of important steps need to be taken, including encouraging children and young people who are entitled to a free school meal to avail themselves of it. The Minister should, urgently, publish his Department's review of the eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants.”
“<BR /> <BR />The provision of free school meals enables many children to access a nutritious meal, which, in some cases, will be their main meal of the day. That brings with it a range of physical and mental benefits, as well as educational benefits. The links between educational underachievement and deprivation are well known. Evidence suggests that some children returning to school from weeks or months of holiday are intellectually behind classmates who have had access to a wholesome diet during the school holidays. Legislation is needed, now, to make a long-term commitment so that children who need free school meals, and their families, are supported to ensure that they get the nutrition that they need to help fulfil their potential.”
“If we work together, we can make a difference and most certainly protect the most vulnerable children in society, even with our constrained budgets. It is important that we do that. <BR /> <BR />That is why I have proposed a Member's Bill that aims to tackle holiday hunger and ensure that no child goes hungry. The cost-of-living crisis has deepened, and we are all feeling it in our pockets. Society is feeling it, and we want to help as many people as possible, but it hits a lot harder for some than for others. My Bill seeks to ensure that children who are in receipt of free school meals will continue to get that security during the holiday breaks through direct payments to their families.”
“Great work is being done by Monkstown Boxing Club and the Lagmore Youth Project, for example. During the summer, I volunteered at Lagmore and ran an eight-week programme. It was to help with holiday hunger — not that any of the children who were participating in the programme knew what it was about. We were able to have it in a Belfast city park, where we had access to play facilities and the pitch. We had fun and games, but we were putting food in their wee bellies. There is deprivation in every part of society. All of us have those issues coming into our constituency offices, but it hits home when you are at the coalface, volunteering. One of the children was pocketing food, on the side, because he wanted to bring it home for his older sister.”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion, which is very important. It was debated in recent months, and, during that time, our community and voluntary sector has been doing the heavy lifting.”
“I agree 100%. We did not get those answers at Committee either. <BR /> <BR />We need a comprehensive plan that will deliver on objective need by giving poverty and deprivation the weighting that they deserve in determining what areas are eligible for funding or inclusion. Ultimately, the Minister must ensure that children and young people who need help and support most get it. <BR /> <BR />No one here is advocating that the funding should go by the wayside or that the programme should be scrapped. As my colleagues have said, it is time for the Minister to go back to the drawing board. The new formula is flawed, and we all know it. We still do not know what the Minister's plan is, because labels are not facts.”
“If we are serious about tackling educational underachievement, we first must accept that poverty is the biggest indicator of it. The RAISE programme does not have that principle at its core. <BR /> <BR />We still do not know who came up with the new formula. The expert panel has been referenced several times. I would like to know what role it had, if any, in designing the eligibility formula.”
“That is despite the fact that research commissioned by the Department recommended that the use of free school meal entitlement should not be replaced as the primary indicator of disadvantage. <BR /> <BR />The RAISE programme promises a whole-community approach to reducing educational disadvantage. However, that is clearly not the case when many of the most disadvantaged communities have been left out. The Minister has focused on directing much-needed funding away from communities and children and young people who need it most. The emphasis on geography has been to the detriment of an emphasis on objective need. <BR /> <BR />There is also a concerning over-reliance on GCSE results in determining eligibility for the RAISE programme, even though a wide range of evidence demonstrates the value and importance of early intervention.”
“Absolutely. Among that list, two thirds of grammar schools could avail themselves of the funding. Absolutely. <BR /> <BR />I have deep concerns about the data and the indicators that were chosen to identify the localities in which the programme will operate. They are flawed and not fit for purpose. Due to the cuts imposed from London, our education system has limited resources, and we should target any additional funding on where it is needed most. The need to tackle poverty, social inclusion and patterns of deprivation on the basis of objective need is woven into the Good Friday Agreement. However, it is evident that the Department is moving away from targeting objective need by putting less emphasis on the tried, tested and trusted indicator of socio-economic status: free school meal entitlement.”
“That is the context in which the RAISE programme will be rolled out. It is clear from today's debate that many opinions exist in regard to the RAISE programme and how it aims to tackle underachievement. Any objective analysis demonstrates that the Minister and his Department, regardless of his facts, are reallocating funds in a manner that punishes poverty and rewards wealth.”
“I want to open by thanking the many outstanding school teaching and non-teaching staff and our community and voluntary sector who strive daily to help children and young people reach their full potential despite the disadvantages that many pupils face. <BR /> <BR />A wide range of research shows that there is a strong link between persistent educational underachievement and socio-economic background. Young people who do not succeed at school are more likely to be unemployed, to suffer from poor health, to die young, to be a victim of crime or to have to deal with addiction. That means that tackling educational underachievement is vital in improving the outcomes of our most disadvantaged young people. It is also fundamental to improving our society. <BR /> <BR />At present, the North has a long tail of underachievement.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. What outreach work has taken place that is aimed at encouraging young people to join the Civil Service and at demonstrating the opportunities that are available?”
“Thank you for your answer, Minister. Nearly a third of young people under the age of 18 are currently homeless. Do the Minister and his Department consider the rights of children and young people when developing policy and solutions?”
“<BR /> <BR />I encourage the Minister of Education and his Department to focus on achieving the best possible outcome for deaf children and young people and on ensuring that they are provided with every opportunity to succeed. Our schools must be fully prepared and understand the needs of children and young people in the classrooms. Children and young people with hearing impairments and deafness should no longer be sidelined.”
“For example, deaf young people often do well at university because they have developed coping strategies and are able to deal with their environment. <BR /> <BR />The best educational outcomes for deaf children and young people will be accomplished via consistent and more effective early intervention. Early intervention is crucial, if young minds are to develop communication skills and acquire language, including sign, to enable them to compete effectively with their hearing peers. They also must be given the right support in the school environment, and teaching staff must be given the right training and resources to achieve that.”
“Provision is spread thinly, and, in some cases, it is decreasing, despite an increase in the number of deaf children. It is a fact that there is not enough support for children and young people who want to be educated through the medium of sign language. <BR /> <BR />The Minister of Education must focus on closing the attainment gap experienced by deaf children and young people, particularly at GCSE level. The attainment of deaf children at school should be the same as that among the general population, but that is far from the case. Having GCSEs in English and mathematics is essential to accessing the North's labour market. As a result, the current attainment gap means that deaf young people are being disadvantaged in education and employment. Once a deaf young person progresses beyond their GCSEs, the attainment gap tends to close.”
“That presents a challenge for educationalists who work with deaf children and for their families, who need as much information as possible as early as possible. Some deaf children use sign language and some lip-read. Others will use hearing aids or implants, but their ability to hear will never be the same as that of a child who does not need support with their hearing. <BR /> <BR />The Education Authority's sensory service works with children and young people with sensory impairment from the time of their diagnosis through all stages of their education. However, the level and availability of the support is not where it should be. Unfortunately, deaf children and young people have no guarantee that their teachers or classroom assistants will be able to communicate with them in their first language.”
“I thank the Member who moved motion, which we support, and for articulating the barriers so well. <BR /> <BR />Sinn Féin wants an education system underpinned by equality that delivers for all and leaves no child or young person behind. Deaf children and young people should perform just as well as their peers, and they should know that, while deafness presents challenges, it does not have to prevent them from living the life that they want to lead. Right now, that is not happening. Better support would allow those children to thrive. However, services are under-resourced. Most deaf children attend mainstream schools, where there is a good chance that they will be the only deaf child. <BR /> <BR />Deaf children and young people have varying types and levels of deafness.”
“What current obstacles are preventing developers from contributing financially to NI Water in order to facilitate development?”
“Minister, in reference to your answer to the Chair, I think that it is very important that you come to the Education Committee as soon as possible to really delve into some of the issues in the statement. How do you intend to include young people with special educational needs, given that many educational settings are already under-resourced or have no suitable provision for those young people?”
“It is imperative that the transition to net zero is fair and just, and we must work to tackle emissions and develop more opportunities for sustainable travel.”
“<BR /> <BR />I welcome the recent roll-out of the 100 new electric buses as part of a £64 million investment by the Minister to help decarbonise our public transport. While it is important that we commit ourselves to delivering carbon savings through the vehicles that we drive, we must also note that much more work needs to be done to increase and improve the infrastructure to make it viable to drive an electric or zero-emissions vehicle. The Minister will know this: we also need to continue to improve the availability and reliability of charge points and other pieces of infrastructure across the North, particularly in our rural communities, to ensure that people have the confidence and the opportunity to decarbonise their own transport.”
“Sinn Féin fully supports the target for net zero by 2050 for the entire island of Ireland and is therefore supportive of the Minister's plans for the vehicle emissions trading schemes as part of delivering a zero-carbon economy. Until now, there has been confusion within the industry around the issue, given that the North has been in a different position from other places across these islands. However, this legislation will bring the North into the vehicle emissions trading scheme, which is already in place across these islands. Therefore the legislation, as stated by car manufacturers, will provide clarity to give support to the overwhelming call for the North to be a part of VETS. That will ensure that they are operating under one scheme, rather than two different schemes.”
“How many apprentices are currently being funded by the Department?”
“The decisions that we make today are the ones that they will inherit tomorrow. By empowering young people with a vote, we encourage a lifetime of political engagement. Our democracy will be richer for it, and our society will be fairer. <BR /> <BR />We must not continue to sideline the opinions of 16- and 17-year-olds. They must have a direct role in shaping their future. I say to the young people listening today, "Sinn Féin is on your side. You should have the right to shape the processes in this Chamber like anyone else". Let us ensure that the democratic process can be open to all. It is time to extend the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds. I ask Members to support the motion and the amendment.”
“<BR /> <BR />Extending the right to vote would allow a seamless transition from learning about voting to putting it into practice. We have potentially already lost one generation. We cannot deny the next generation of voters, who have studied the democratic process, the right to use that knowledge in council and Assembly elections. That is a missed opportunity. It is only fair that their voices translate into political power. Sinn Féin has always advocated an inclusive, progressive society where everyone has the right to shape their future and where the voices of young people are not only heard but listened to. <BR /> <BR />Our vision for a new and united Ireland is built on equality, justice and inclusivity. Allowing 16-year-olds to vote ensures that we give a voice to those who have the biggest stake in our future.”
“<BR /> <BR />In Scotland and Wales, 16- and 17-year-olds have the right to elect their MSPs and their Welsh Assembly Members. In the European Union, Austria, Germany and Malta have all extended voting rights to over-16s. That has meant a more engaged, more vocal and more diverse electorate. In the North and across Ireland, we deny that opportunity to our next generation of voters. When they can vote, 16- and 17-year-olds have higher rates of turnout than 18-to-24-year-olds. They have accessed more information from a wider variety of sources than any other age group, making them a more informed voting group. If you can vote at 16 and 17, you are more likely to vote in the future. Eighteen-year-olds who do not vote can become 50-year-olds who do not vote. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds who vote will continue to vote as they age.”
“It is time to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds. Every day in the Chamber, we make decisions that affect the lives of children and young people, all without them having a direct role in playing their part in that change. Young people have been at the forefront of delivering real change in some of the biggest political developments of the past decade. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are not just citizens of the future; they are full and equal citizens now. They are the cornerstone of our communities, and they play an active and valuable role in our society. At 16, you can start work, you can make your own decisions on education and you pay tax and National Insurance, to name a few. The notion that they are not mature or able enough to play a role in the democratic process is nonsense.”
“Will the Minister elaborate on the bid to the transformation fund for improved special educational needs support?”
“I thank the Minister for her statement. It is extremely important that we instill in our young people, in society and, particularly, in men and boys an understanding of what healthy, respectful relationships are. Does the Minister agree that that will be a key component in addressing violence against women and girls?”
“What plans are there, if any, to restore the Ulster canal from Clones to Lough Neagh?”
“I thank the Minister. Has the North/South Ministerial Council agreed to include road safety as a permanent feature of the transport sectoral meetings?”
“Go raibh maith agat, Minister. Thank you for the kind words. <BR /> <BR />How does the Minister plan to ensure that organisations such as Kids Together are able to continue and provide an invaluable service where managed budgets are paid at the same rate as self-directed support?”
“for your answer, Minister. Does the Minister agree that enhancing rail connectivity across the island is the future?”
“How does the Minister plan to address the significant gap in the average scores between the most and least disadvantaged pupils?”
“Does the Minister agree that it is important that all public infrastructure, including our footpaths and roads, is well maintained and kept clean?”
“I ask the Minister to work with the Education Authority and to look at this particular programme, because it was unique for West Belfast. It had full community buy-in and wrap-around support, and they were the front face of who you went to when children were in a vulnerable situation. Investing in those services is an investment in the well-being of our youth and the future prosperity of West Belfast. I urge the Minister to support this programme and the many others that transform young lives through education, mentorship and community engagement.”
“I can think of the most serious one in recent times: a riotous situation that took place over a number of nights on Lanark Way. It was the youth workers who led the way in taking our young people away from that situation. We are now starting to feel that coming into our community, again. It is not as serious as that, but when you see attacks in our play parks and at night, that is a real growing concern.”
“That is why the work of groups such as the Attach programme's youth work team in West Belfast was so vital. Its outreach efforts helped steer vulnerable young people towards positive decisions and re-engagement in constructive life opportunities. The cut to its funding, however, dealt a massive blow to its ability to make an impact in West Belfast in recent times. <BR /> <BR />I was in the Balmoral Hotel when our community came together: our community groups, the PSNI, political reps and youth workers. The fear was that all the great work that was being done would unravel in the time ahead, and, unfortunately, we have seen that in recent weeks with increased attacks on Glider services. When the Attach team was operational, they were only a phone call away, and they would respond no matter what the circumstances were.”
“I begin by thanking our school principals, teachers and non-teaching staff for the fantastic work that they do in supporting the children and young people of West Belfast. It is also vital that I highlight the work carried out by our informal educators, who work tirelessly across my constituency in the statutory and voluntary sectors. Their immense efforts to impact positively on young lives must not go unrecognised. Youth workers have faced difficult times that include job insecurity, and many experienced youth workers have left the profession in recent times. <BR /> <BR />The informal education sector is uniquely positioned to engage young people who have fallen away from formal education and become disconnected from their community. For some, that path has led to destructive decisions.”