Debate contribution: School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 30 June 2026.

MLA: Ms Cara Hunter
Party at the time: Social Democratic and Labour Party
Date: 30 June 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Committee Business
Heading: School Uniforms (Trousers) Bill: Second Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5653650

Text

I am happy to be here. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I fear that I will repeat a number of points that have been made this evening. As a relatively young woman — I am 30 now — I am absolutely baffled that we have to debate this issue. It is truly astonishing. If I did not have notes in front of me, I would have no words to say. I am so shocked that we have had to have such a fight to bring the matter to the Chamber and get it sorted. Something as simple as girls being able to wear trousers in their place of education is such a small but meaningful thing. It is shameful that, in 2026, we are still having that debate. Let us break it down and see how it looks. It is essentially about older men in positions of power dictating whether young girls have to stay in skirts or can have the capacity to wear trousers. That really does not sit right with me, and it never has. In fact, I find it profoundly ironic that the Department of Education, which has an obligation to talk about ending violence against women and girls, still holds to a process like that, which echoes profound inequalities. It is totally unfair. So many Members have articulated so well the experiences of young girls going to school, including getting nettle stings on their legs or feeling ice-cold. That impacts on the quality of and access to education, and it is totally unfair. We talk in the House about ending violence against women and girls, but we must highlight equality as an important aspect in those discussions and in this debate as well. At Committee, we heard such compelling evidence from young people about why girls should have the choice of wearing trousers in school. Outside of the young people themselves, the conversations that we had with Menstruation Matters, particularly on the dignity piece about young girls and periods, really resonated with me. Periods are a fact of life, and trousers, as most of us will know, are infinitely easier to wear during that time of the month. Whether you are a young woman or whatever age you are, when you are having your period, you do better at your job or at school if you can focus and feel more confident. It really is that simple. We often talk about the importance of safeguarding and protecting our young people. We have heard stories from across the North about upskirting and downblousing. That is why it is so important to echo today that, despite the simplicity of this change, it will be so meaningful in protecting young girls and their dignity in a number of ways. We also often hear directly from young women that they simply want to be comfortable. They might have some sensory needs, and they just want to be able to focus on their learning, as they should, as young people in our classrooms. We are not here to question the Speaker's ruling, of course, but I must offer my opinion that I was deeply disappointed that we, as a Committee, had to regroup and bring this forward again today. We are now being told that schools have the power to decide. That sounds reasonable until we ask one simple question: who will carry the burden? It is not the Minister or the Department. It is a young girl. Often, her parents are put in the position where they are expected to come together with others to challenge a school policy, lobby governors and fight through complaints procedures simply for a child to wear a pair of trousers. That is in 2026. I find that ridiculous.
I thank the Member for his intervention. Ultimately, the Department of Education and the Minister will tell our young people, "Aspire to be the best that you can be. Get out into the world. You can do and be anything — but you cannot wear trousers". That is lunacy. It is lunacy and hypocrisy of the highest order. I have to be frank: not only as a politician but as a woman, I am disappointed that the Minister is not here today. The best way to have this kind of conversation about equality is to be open and frank and to have accountability and transparency. I am deeply disappointed, and I would like further clarity about why the Minister is not here on the last sitting day for the next two months. I would like answers, and so would my constituents, including those who are parents and young people. I find it extraordinary and depressing that this did not pass previously and that we have had to regroup. As the Chair of the Education Committee rightly said, this could be done at the stroke of a pen. It is nonsensical that we have to do it this way. We all know what the right answer is; we need to legislate for it effectively. Children should not have to be campaigners for rights that the House has the power to guarantee for them. It is grossly unfair. We rightly expect our young people to come to school ready to learn, not to become advocates or negotiators for something basic that is, as the Member to my left rightly said, a fundamental human right to wear trousers. It is nonsensical. We are talking about children. They are in our classrooms to learn. We listened to them; we heard how important this is to them; and I have to say, on behalf of the SDLP, that I am truly delighted that this is moving forward today. I thank the Bill Office and the staff and teams who put it together. It is not about undermining schools and their right to make decisions; it is about setting a minimum standard of dignity, comfort and equality that should apply to every child, regardless of how they identify. That is crucial. No child's education should depend on whether the board of governors happens to agree with them. If we believe that girls should have the option of wearing trousers, as I do, we should have the courage to say so in legislation rather than leaving children and families to fight the battle school by school and accepting that the ethos and culture of a school will dictate the rights of young girls. It is almost humorous to me that we find ourselves here.
Certainly.
I thank the Member for his point, but, respectfully, I am not here to talk about other jurisdictions; I am here to talk about the rights of my constituents in East Derry and people right across the North. I am unaware of whether other regions have or do not have such legislation, but, if they do not, why not make the Assembly an example of the type of equality that can be achieved? I thank the Member for his intervention, and I respect the DUP for not voting against the Bill today, which is important. I wholeheartedly back the Bill. It is brilliant that the Committee has moved forward with it. I really hope that young women across the North will see that something as simple as this can be achieved. I see it as a failure of the House that, in 2026, we still have to debate the issue, but I am optimistic that, on this one occasion, what is happening today is a good thing. Alongside my fellow Committee members, I really welcome the opportunity to make progress with the Bill.

1,265 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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