Debate contribution: School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Mrs Cathy Mason on .
- MLA
- Mrs Cathy Mason
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 30 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Committee Business
- Heading
- School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5653622
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for that intervention. I could not agree more. On the flip side of that, in warm weather, many girls do not want to wear socks because they fear their skirt blowing up, so they choose to wear tights or shorts underneath their skirts. Therefore, on the flip side, when we experience warm weather, girls are sitting there in their tights. We have heard stories about the fact that, as school blouses are normally white, girls do not want to take their jumper off in the heat. We also heard about children not being allowed to wear their own coat over their blazer at school. As the Member stated, all of that could have been rectified with the stroke of a pen.
I will, yes.
I thank the Member for that, and, again, I could not agree more. Would any of us accept not being able to wear a coat in the pouring rain or the freezing cold when we walk in here? I do not think so. A girl should not have to ask for permission to wear trousers. I repeat: a girl should not have to ask for permission to wear trousers. It is just crazy that I should even have to say that. A family should not have to overcome obstacles and navigate unnecessary bureaucracy to secure what should already be a basic right for their child. We now have an opportunity to put that issue beyond doubt and bring our school uniform policies into the 21st century. Sinn Féin is really proud to support that change and will work with everyone across the Assembly to make sure that it happens.
277 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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