Debate contribution: Education Inspections Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on 1 June 2026.

MLA

Mr David Brooks

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

1 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Education Inspections Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5581794

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Minister for his intervention. The Member is clearly not happy with what he says is the legacy of the GTC, so I hope that he will vote for the Bill when the Question is put to the House. The Member is making a challenge, but he supports inspections. Again, my problem is that I do not see a match between what those on the other side of the House are saying and their actions in seeking to vote the Bill down at this stage. If inspections are vital to the running of our education service, safeguarding and quality assurance, you cannot say that it is OK that they are involved in industrial disputes. It is either vital and should be left aside from that or it is not. That is my point. I will make some progress now, if Members do not mind. I have listened to the various opinions and read the emails that I, too, have received, but I am not willing to indulge fighting to hold inspections as a tool for use in disputes. I am disappointed that Sinn Féin is playing populist politics on issues as obviously, in my opinion, right as this in an attempt to cover itself from criticisms from the left and, frankly, the lack of delivery that it has shown in its Departments. Let us be clear on what the legislation does and does not do. The Minister has touched on that already. The Bill does not remove the right to strike. It does not criminalise teachers. It does, however, make cooperation with statutory inspection a defined professional obligation. It provides proportionate professional sanctions through the General Teaching Council where necessary. We would not dream of allowing hospitals or doctors to refuse to participate in RQIA inspections or revalidation respectively. Why would we allow a similar situation in our schools? As has been talked about in the Chamber, that same pragmatic approach is used across the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland. Those jurisdictions do not allow inspection to be used as a bargaining chip. Northern Ireland should not be an outlier on that fundamental point of public accountability. Frankly, I say in the clearest possible terms that I cannot get my head around the position of those who think that it should. Parents — the people who entrust us with their children — expect and deserve independent assurance that schools are safe and effective. The Bill is child-centred. It will restore independent oversight so that weaknesses in teaching, leadership and safeguarding are identified and addressed. Who objects to that? It will protect vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils, who are most likely to be overlooked when inspections are disrupted. Who objects to that? It will bring Northern Ireland in line with neighbouring jurisdictions and ensure consistency and fairness across this island and the United Kingdom. Is anyone in the Chamber opposed to that? It will embed the inspection of religious education in response to the Supreme Court's findings and ensure transparency about what is taught in the classroom. Does anyone object to that? No. We must be honest about the balance of consequences. We should cease using the false narrative and straw man argument of harsh punishments as a means of stirring up passion on a false premise. It has not been seen in other jurisdictions. The Bill is about deterring unreasonable and disproportionate actions that, ultimately, impact on our children.

I am sorry, but other jurisdictions also saw strikes, so the point is null. I hear the concerns about workload issues, as does the Minister. That is why he has commissioned and published an action plan. That is why he has brought forward the TransformED programme, delivering reforms to reduce bureaucracy and support teachers. However, placing workload and inspection as somehow mutually exclusive adversaries is neither rational nor reasonable. As I have outlined, inspection has a role in further evidencing and validating some of the challenges that school staff and pupils face. The Bill will give reassurance that future disputes will not have elements that compromise the safety and education of children by virtue of their being pawns in those negotiations. Frankly, we should all be able to agree on that, and I despair that we cannot.

710 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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