Debate contribution: Relationships and Sexuality Education and Healthy Young Adult Relationships
Debate contribution by Mrs Diane Dodds on .
- MLA
- Mrs Diane Dodds
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 14 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Relationships and Sexuality Education and Healthy Young Adult Relationships
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4736731
Read the official Assembly record
Text
No, I am sorry. I do not have any time. All those things are hugely important. However, when we, as a body of politicians, are here deciding on a motion and even on legislation, the evidence that we use should be wide-ranging and broadly based. I thank the young people who are referred to in the text for their contributions. It is massively important to hear from young people, but we also need to hear the outcomes of, for example, the RSE inquiry that the Education Committee is taking forward and from many other groups. I think that there is consensus among some in the Chamber on that. It is really important to talk to young people; I have said and emphasised that. That is massive. It is also important to talk about and acknowledge the role of parents, teachers and governors in developing the RSE curriculum. Over 13,000 people responded to a recent consultation exercise that the Department of Education conducted on the teaching around abortion in the RSE curriculum. That is one of the largest consultation responses that, I am sure, you will get anywhere. It confirmed the need for the RSE curriculum to be developed and consulted on in a local setting and in partnership with parents, teachers and school governors. That is also important. Mr Carroll talked about the DUP. In the consultation responses, there were parents who also argued for the right to opt out if they wanted to do so. It is important that we acknowledge parental choice on the issue. We have talked a lot about the issues of consent and how we deal with them. We should all be encouraged that, in the wider review of the curriculum, the Minister has confirmed that those issues can be integrated —
— across the curriculum. That is the type of exciting innovation that we need for the future.
314 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.11 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.86).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.97).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.09 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.04 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.07 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.86 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.11 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.97 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.03 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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