Edwin Poots
South Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I call Mr Eóin Tennyson. Again, this is Mr Tennyson's first opportunity to speak as a private Member, so I remind the House that it is convention that a maiden speech be made without interruption. However, if you choose to express views that provoke an interruption, you are likely to forfeit that protection.”
“Sorry — Ms Armstrong. My apologies. <BR /> <BR />That the Assembly could, in some way, get that money out when it is a UK Government responsibility. The UK Government have distributed it directly in Scotland and Wales, not through the Welsh Parliament and not through the Scottish Parliament.”
“I have not got time; I am sorry. <BR /> <BR />Ursula von der Leyen, who was in the Republic last week, made some of the most ridiculous claims about the British Government, who have supported Ukraine in a way that no other Government in Europe have and who have never engaged in the activity that was suggested by Ursula von der Leyen.”
“Today, a lot of statements have been made but there has not been a lot of fact behind a lot of what has been said. We have Michelle O'Neill, who walked out of her role as Health Minister — not for six months but for three years — and abandoned her position when we had Bengoa and there were all the problems with nursing that led to the str…”
“I need to deal with the issues first. <BR /> <BR />He referred to the Budget that he produced. No party supported that Budget. The Alliance Party did not support it, because it did not cover policing and prisons. Infrastructure did not support it, because it would not allow it to do the basics of what had to be done.”
“We had a circumstance where Sinn Féin repeated, month after month after month, that there were hundreds of millions to give to the public when that did not exist and when, in reality, Minister Murphy was racking up debt that will roll into next year, which will ensure that that will be a difficult financial year.”
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“First, I put on record the Minister's thanks to the Chair and members of the Education Committee for their acceptance of the case made by her and presented to them seeking their support for the Bill and their agreement to progress it under the accelerated passage arrangements. I record my thanks to Members for agreeing to accelerated passage in what is a full legislative programme. <BR /> <BR />In a statement to the Assembly on 13 December 2021, Minister McIlveen announced the outcome of an independent effectiveness review of the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) undertaken by the Department's consultants, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore.”
“We do not have the current figures, but we know that COVID-19 is still prevalent and that there is a lot of it around. However, the strains have become diluted and therefore the impact of it, in terms of the number of people who have to go into hospital because of it and be treated in an intensive care unit, has reduced considerably. Therefore, the decisions made by the Department of Education and all other Departments will reflect that.”
“There continue to be asymptomatic testing programmes for post-primary pupils, special school pupils and all school staff, and the Public Health Agency (PHA) vaccination programme has been rolled out to those aged 12 and over. Schools are advised to maximise ventilation where possible, and the EA is supporting schools that identify issues with that, including the provision of CO2 monitors. Schools are encouraged to maintain pupils in consistent groups, where possible, and promote good hand and respiratory hygiene practices. They are also encouraged to facilitate social distancing where that is possible.”
“A number of mitigations are specified in the Department's guidance to schools. There is also a range of mitigations that will be put in place at school level to reflect the individual circumstances of each school. The DE guidance allows school leaders to be flexible in how they manage COVID-19 risks in their schools and builds on the learning that they have gained over the course of the pandemic on what works well and what works less well in schools. Schools are encouraged to take a cautious, risk-based approach to their operation. <BR /> <BR />The Executive decided in August that post-primary children should continue to wear face coverings in post-primary classrooms on the basis of public health advice. That continued to apply until last week, when the Minister announced that it would no longer apply.”
“I agree with her about consent. There should always be consent — always — and no one should be forced to do things against their will, just as no one should break the law, of course, which happens in certain circumstances. I have to question her conjoining that issue with RSE. As everything is looked at, you update, but it appears that the Member is writing RSE off as wholly deficient, and I do not think that the Minister or the Department would accept that.”
“I know that some Members were not that keen on children returning to school. It is a great thing that children returned to school. Those Members advocated against the return to school, maybe on behalf of a relatively small number of people. I can see a couple of Members saying to each other, "I wonder who he is referring to", but maybe that speaks for itself. Having children in school is a huge asset to the women and children's strategy in that the reporting lines are much stronger through it.”
“The Department of Justice leads on that strategy, and the Department of Education will have a role, particularly in those schools where many children come from circumstances where they are perhaps vulnerable. We must recognise that around 3,000 children in Northern Ireland are on the at-risk register. That should be of huge concern to every one of us. Not all of them are young women, by the way; many of them are young men and boys. Therefore, Education should do whatever it can to protect children, be they male or female. There are significant courses of work in the education sector, with reporting lines to social care and so forth. <BR /> <BR />Many children are safeguarded as a consequence of going to school. It was noted during the lockdown period that children were at greater risk because of their inability to attend school.”
“The Minister of Education will work with all other Ministers where there are cross-cutting issues. We commend the work that has been done thus far on the 20 mph speed limits and flashing signs. If the Member is advocating for schools in her constituency, the Minister is clearly supportive of further roll-out of that scheme, and she would be supportive of other MLAs who also advocate such facilities. <BR /> <BR />The safety of our children is always paramount. Watching the children in Ukraine causes us all deep anxiety and pain — how fortunate we are — but we need to ensure that, where possible, we provide safety for our own children. Therefore, the Department of Education will welcome any steps to improve safety, including the further roll-out of that scheme.”
“The Department responsible for road safety is the Department for Infrastructure. The setting of speed limits and the implementation of road safety measures are the responsibility of the Minister for Infrastructure, not the Minister of Education.”
“The Minister will absolutely work with the Education Authority to ensure that transport is available to children. They will also look at the contracts to ensure that they are upheld by the transport organisations and, if those organisations need assistance, at how that can best be provided.”
“Outside teaching, school transport is, of course, one of the highest costs to the education sector. It has been challenging for every Education Minister who has come along. The transport sector is facing unprecedented cost rises. Therefore, each and every Department needs to look at that for each sector that it serves. One has to wait and see whether the hikes in fuel costs will be more permanent or whether they are driven by people panic buying, because, at the moment, the price at the pump does not reflect the price of oil. When we see what the more permanent circumstances will be, a decision will need to be taken.”
“I am certain that the Minister will want to ensure that young people in Armagh have as good an opportunity as possible to have the facilities that they need for their education, recreation, sport and training. I know that the Member is keenly into sport and recognises its importance to education, but, again, before that judgement can be made, the consequences of the Integrated Education Bill will have to be taken into account. If there is a greater demand for integrated education in the city of Armagh, for example, that pitch will have to take a step back while the facilities needed to meet that demand are provided first. The Member may be learning only now the consequences of the decision that he and others made last week.”
“Management side engaged with NITC representatives on 3 March 2022 when it restated its commitment to continuing with the progress made to date and to work closely with NITC colleagues to explore what remains possible to secure a positive resolution.”
“As a result, the starting pay for a teacher would have increased from £24,137 to £26,045, and the maximum salary on the main pay scale would have increased from £41,094 to £41,916. That pay offer was unconditional, recognising that overarching commitments still remain from 2017-19 pay and workload agreements to achieve efficiencies, and the offer was made despite a very difficult financial situation. The Minister hoped that that would have led to a completion of pay negotiations for 2021-22 and 2022-23 during the current mandate. At a meeting of the teachers' negotiating committee on 16 February 2022, the NITC advised that it was rejecting the pay offer.”
“The first element of the question — whether the Minister respects the education workforce — does not need to be asked because the Minister was a practising teacher and knows first-hand what it is like to be at the coalface of education. Therefore, she will want to do her best to make it a qualitative and rewarding place for teachers and children. <BR /> <BR />At a meeting with the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) on 7 February 2022, management side made a formal offer of a two-year pay deal from 1 September 2021, worth 3·2%, which would have seen the removal of the bottom point of the current teachers' main pay scale and the addition of a further point at the top of the scale, with a similar approach applied to each of the pay ranges for school leaders.”
“Again, there is a demand for additional funding from the Member, despite the fact that many schools will have less funding as a consequence of the Integrated Education Bill. During 2020, the Minister's predecessor asked officials to consider the issues of restraint and seclusion, including the appropriateness of existing guidance, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders and to report back on those findings and recommendations in due course. When that review is completed, a report, including any proposals for change, will be provided to the Minister for her consideration.”
“The Department of Education is reviewing the use of restraint and seclusion in educational settings. Interim guidance was issued to educational settings on 10 May 2021 by way of DE circular 2021/13. When the review is complete, a report, including any proposals for change, will be provided to the Minister for consideration.”
“Again, it shows a reckless disregard for the children in those schools that you are prepared to cut their budgets to that extent.”
“The Bill introduces additional consultation requirements when the Department exercises any function related to integrated education, and that is potentially very wide-ranging, as, arguably, many if not most functions that impact on a school could be said to relate to integrated education. The Education Authority must ascertain the extent to which parents would prefer their children to be educated in integrated schools rather than in those that are not integrated. <BR /> <BR />If you divert all the funding that is currently in the system and focus it all on one sector, it does not take a rocket scientist, Mr Lyttle, to work out that it will lead to cuts in budgets for the controlled sector and the maintained sector.”
“It is about the consequences of it. Once the Integrated Education Bill becomes law, it will generate a range of costs, both resource and capital, and some of those will become clearer over time. Because of the way that "support" is defined in the Bill, the Department will have to identify, assess and monitor, with reference to catchment and other areas, and provide sufficient places to aim to meet the demand for integrated education. The Bill requires the Department to prepare an integrated education strategy that must include provision for resources, including personnel as well as resources for facilitating the establishment and expansion of integrated schools. It must also include targets and reports on progress towards meeting them.”
“in the controlled sector and in the maintained sector.”
“I do not believe in forcing people into taking decisions against their will. I commend the schools in the maintained sector and in the controlled sector, which have worked so hard over the years to provide quality education, including for most people in the Chamber and for their families. I have nothing against the integrated sector — my daughter attended an integrated school — but putting that sector on a pedestal above all others and then creating an unfairness in the system is damaging to children in that system. The Member and the other Members who supported the Bill have voted to hurt children”
“Currently, around 93% of children are sent to schools that are not integrated. We can have all the surveys that we like, but there is high demand for those schools. Let me say this: a lot of those schools have higher levels of integration than schools that have the title "integrated". Integrated schools need to have more than 10% of children from one community: I can assure you that there are schools that have closer to 30% or 40% of children from a minority community in their area that do not have the title "integrated" but where the parents have chosen that that is the right model of schooling for them. <BR /> <BR />Let me say this: Members may think that this is a good idea, but, when you try to force people to do things, it often leads to a reaction that you do not want.”
“That is unfairness and discrimination against children, and those who voted for it and those who facilitated it should be ashamed of themselves for allowing it to happen.”
“There is no doubt that the impact on integrated schools will be significant in terms of how they can operate and their workload. Of greatest significance is the fact that every integrated school will have to, first and foremost, ensure that every class in every year represents the full range of categories set out in clause 1 of the Bill. That takes priority over the education that is provided, so the ethos of integration takes precedence over the education of children in that respect. I have to say that the impact on the other schools is hugely significant and hugely damaging. Its consequences are that other schools will now be placed on a lower part of the pyramid, with the controlled and maintained sectors at the bottom, the Irish-language sector in the middle and the integrated sector at the top.”
“To suggest that any of those statutory requirements can be delivered without impact on every other sector is disingenuous. The Minister of Education is clear that the Integrated Education Bill will impact on every other sector and that that will be to the detriment of schools in every other sector. As she stated at Further Consideration Stage and Final Stage, the Integrated Education Bill does no service to integrated schools either. To put it simply, no child, no school and no sector wins under the Integrated Education Bill.”
“The Department must prepare and maintain an integrated education strategy to include provision for resources to encourage, facilitate and support integrated education and for the protection of the ethos of integrated schools. The EA will have to ascertain parental preference for integrated education in its strategic planning for education provision. It has no such duty for any other sector. The Department must include targets and benchmarks for integrated education and report against them. The Department has no such duty in relation to any other sector; rather, it seeks to ensure as far as is possible, with regard to high-quality, sustainable education and cost to the public purse, that children are educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.”
“Now that the House has voted to pass the Integrated Education Bill, the Member's question relates to when, rather than if, the Bill becomes law. The clear answer is that the Minister of Education does not think that equilibrium across the education sectors is possible under the Bill. The Bill places duties on the Department of Education and the Education Authority that do not exist for any other sector. As she stated throughout the debates on the Integrated Education Bill, there is one finite education budget from which all educational provision must be funded. <BR /> <BR />Due to the way in which "support" is defined in the Bill, the Department and the EA will be required to identify, assess, monitor and provide sufficient places to aim to meet the demand for integrated education. That, in itself, will generate costs.”
“We all want to ensure that the fall of the Executive is for as short a period as possible. We all know what the problems are around that, and we need to address those problems. Let us get back to the business that we really need to do. The Ministers have been working extremely hard in each of their Departments, but challenges of a cross-cutting nature will inevitably lead to problems. It is important to ensure that we have a system of governance where people elect people to make their laws, as opposed to one where people make laws for here without having an elected mandate to do so. That is better for all of us. I encourage every Member to support us in seeking to ensure that democratic accountability remains and that laws are not made in Brussels to be applied here with nobody holding Brussels to account for making those laws.”
“I hope that Mr Murphy will step up and ensure that children do not suffer further as a consequence of his Budget.”
“No, I do not have an update at this stage. A considerable roll-out of the scheme under 'A Fair Start' is to happen before we get to a review stage. It is important that we give the scheme the opportunity to move forward. Having the funding in place to deliver it is critical. While we all recognise the needs of the Department of Health, let us be clear that they should not be met at the expense of children's futures or their education. Children suffered more than most as a consequence of COVID and the circumstances in which they were not able to attend school or mix with their peers. It is important that children get every opportunity. I impress on everybody in the Assembly to be supportive of the Minister of Education in seeking to get the appropriate budget from the Department of Finance.”
“When the Executive were operating, the Finance Minister was not making the funding available to the Department of Education. The Member who posed the question has been a long-term critic of the Minister — on many occasions, very unfairly. <BR /> <BR />Let us talk about the scheme under 'A Fair Start' that I have brought to the Assembly today. It will deliver for young people, be they preschool children or young people who have fallen out of the loop and need opportunities to address their issues before they reach adulthood. Let us give that scheme a fair chance. The Minister has been excellent in identifying such a scheme to enable us to move forward on some of the issues, and I commend her for it.”
“In the past number of days, there has been mention of a mysterious £300 million that has not been spent but that could all be given, in one lot, to people who are in difficulties to run their home. Let us be clear: there is not £300 million of unspent money. The Department of Education was starved of funding by Minister Murphy's Budget. That is why his Budget was not agreed, not just by the Minister of Education. The Minister of Justice did not agree it, because there are big issues about not having enough money to pay police officers. Let us nail the lie that £300 million is available. Some money may be available, but the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and others have not got their requisite funding just to carry out the programmes that they currently have in place.”
“There is no point talking in the Chamber about educational underachievement, about more nurture, about tackling early years issues and about developing a high-quality programme and then starving the Department that has to deliver the programme of the funding that it needs to do so.”
“On 16 December, the Minister provided an update report to the Executive and Assembly, outlining the progress. The report is an ambitious long-term action plan, with 47 actions across the six years. The focus of the report, as I said, is very much on the early years. The funding for the delivery of the report needs to be in place to ensure that we can deliver it over the six years.”
“Minister McIlveen's announcement on 1 March included a further three new nurture groups in the North Antrim constituency: Camphill Primary School, St Brigid’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School.”
“The programme will target young people aged 15 and over. The northern locality of the Horizon programme is being funded as part of key area 5 of the 'A Fair Start' action plan. <BR /> <BR />Five Horizon programmes are funded through 'A Fair Start', involving 75 young people in Ballymoney, the Glens, Bushmills/Dervock, Ballymena north and Ballymena south. In addition, Minister McIlveen announced, on 1 March 2022, increases in the total number of nurture groups funded by the Department, which bring the total to 62. The number of funded nurture groups has therefore doubled in the past two years. There are currently three nurture groups in the North Antrim constituency: Ballycraigy Primary School, Ballykeel Primary School and Harryville Primary School.”
“There has been considerable progress, to date, on the delivery of the actions contained in the report 'A Fair Start'. On 16 December 2021, Minister McIlveen provided an update report to the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly, which outlined the progress. The report is an ambitious, long-term action plan, with 47 actions spread across six years. The focus of the report is very much on early years, and the Minister has been keen to make progress quickly. <BR /> <BR />Programmes in the North Antrim area related to 'A Fair Start' include the Education Authority's Youth Service Horizon programme. Horizon is a two-year developmental leadership programme that is designed to help address underachievement in 21 areas across the Province based on the Education Authority's Youth Service assessment of relative needs.”
“Fresh Start funding is available. Northern Ireland Water, for example, has advised the ICT that there may be issues with the water network capacity in relation to Priory Integrated College. That is an issue that has arisen on a number of Departments' capital projects. Obviously, it is causing concern to the planning element of the project.”
“The appointment of a design team for the project at Clifton School, Bangor, is due this month. Some £4 million will be spent at that facility.”
“I can. In Sullivan Upper School, for example, there will be a new classroom block to replace temporary mobiles, a refurbishment of the art and design department and an extension/renovation of the 1938 extension at the main entrance. That is costing around £4 million. The scope of the project at Glencraig Integrated Primary School is yet to be confirmed, but a design team was appointed in August 2021, and a technical feasibility study is under way to scope the project. Some £3 million has been set aside for that project. A design team has been appointed for the project at the St Columbanus' College in Bangor. The RIBA stage 1 is with the Department for review. That will be an investment of around £4 million. The procurement of a design team for Kilcooley Primary School has commenced, and the project will be an investment of £4 million.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Department of Finance introduced a procurement advice notice to provide a remedy for contractors who have been subject to significant and unforeseen cost increases. That has been applied to projects across the capital programme, where applicable. Going forward, a specific clause will be included in new contracts that will permit inflationary pressures to be taken into account. Business case addenda will continue to be prepared to take account of increased rates for materials during the life cycle of capital projects.”
“The Member raises a very important issue. The construction market has been affected by sustained increases in the cost of materials and uncertainty about the availability of materials. Significant cost increases were noted in early to mid 2021, and those continued throughout the rest of the year. While the rate of cost increases has now slowed, prices remain significantly higher than they were this time last year. As a result of the current conflict, we are in a very uncertain period for both the availability and cost of materials. Consequently, some projects now face costs that are significantly higher than those in the approved business case or, indeed, the tendered costs.”
“It identified the preferred option as a new-build school at a site off the Old Holywood Road, close to Redburn Country Park. The new facilities will cater for the school's approved enrolment of 600 pupils. A brand-new handbook-compliant school building, along with indoor and outdoor sports facilities, will be provided. <BR /> <BR />The RIBA stage 2 concept design was approved by the Department in January 2022. The detailed design of the scheme — RIBA stage 3 — is ongoing, with the integrated consultant team working closely with the school to ensure that the design meets its needs. It is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted later this year.”
“I thank the Member for the question. Priory Integrated College was announced as one of the major capital investment projects to advance to planning under the original Fresh Start announcement in March 2016. As Priory Integrated College is a controlled school, the project is being managed by the Education Authority. In common with all the Department of Education's major capital projects, the project follows the Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA) plan of work. <BR /> <BR />In February 2020, the Education Authority successfully completed the appointment of an integrated consultant team (ICT) to carry out the design of the proposed college. Following the completion of a technical feasibility study, a business case was produced, and that was approved by the Department of Finance in August 2020.”
“Absolutely. We can give an assurance on that. If any schools require trees for tree planting, we can, given that Forest Service has an ample amount, engage with the Education Department on their distribution.”
“I thank the Member for the question. First, on the tree planting today by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, I commend him for his work in ensuring that a very appropriate commemoration took place for that event. That was good work. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, I know about his interest in uniformed organisations and their importance right across Northern Ireland. In finalising the development of the programme, the Minister has specifically asked her officials to consider how they might work with uniformed organisations and other youth groups on jubilee projects in order to see how they can be involved.”
“<BR /> <BR />The curricular resources will include a history module on the role of the monarchy; an interactive timeline of the Queen’s reign; lessons and resources that focus on the world, society and daily life in the 1950s; and a suite of film-based resources to highlight the Queen’s connection with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, utilising archive materials from the Queen’s visits. In addition, the Department for Education in England has commissioned a commemorative book for primary-school children across the United Kingdom.”
“Minister McIlveen is pleased to advise that she has agreed the development and delivery of a platinum jubilee education programme to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s platinum jubilee. <BR /> <BR />The jubilee education programme will comprise five main projects, including a suite of curriculum resources that are linked to the jubilee; the big NI jubilee message from schools congratulating the Queen on her platinum jubilee; a jubilee poem-writing competition themed on the Queen and the jubilee celebrations; a big jubilee summer fair for schools; and a jubilee bake-off competition for pupils. All the projects link directly to the Northern Ireland curriculum and have the potential to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for all pupils. They will also allow school communities to come together in a spirit of fun and friendship.”
“I assure Members that I and the Department are committed to ensuring the full implementation of the Bill's provisions once they are passed into law. <BR /> <BR />It is my privilege to make this winding-up speech. I thank Members for their support and commend the Bill to the House.”