Debate contribution: School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Peter Martin on 15 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Peter Martin

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

15 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill: Consideration Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5099846

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I start by picking up on a few things that have been talked about so far. I did not make an intervention because I did not want to slow things down any more. I will pick up on the Committee Chair's comments on the cost cap and the impetus to have said cost cap. That was debated at length at the Committee, and it was a useful discussion. We looked at the cost cap and took evidence from, for example, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Some members were keen to have one, and we tried to say what the figure would be. I suggest that, if everyone in the Chamber was asked to write down what they thought that the cost-cap figure for school uniforms should be, we would have a lot of different numbers, and that is the problem. It becomes more of a problem when a figure is put into primary legislation, because it cannot be changed. Just as an example, a cost cap of £250 was talked about at one point at the Committee. Some post-primary schools might think, "Well, we're going to struggle to bring our entire school uniform in at £250". Other schools, we know, are doing it for less even as we speak. In fact, I spoke to a principal about two weeks ago who was in that situation. I more or less gave him that example, and he said to me, "If you put that figure in, do you not think that schools that are under that might raise the cost of their uniforms to hit that cost cap? If that's the amount you're allowed, can you raise it?" That is called an inverse incentive or a perverse incentive to try to meet a criterion. Not only do I think that it is not a good idea to put numbers into primary legislation because, for example, it does not take account of inflation as the years go on, but not having a figure is a good idea because it allows the guidelines to reflect that and to take evidence around it.

I thank the Chair for that intervention. I hope that I did not suggest that a cost-cap number was ever talked about, but that number was chatted about, as was the concept of a cost cap. It was actually reflected in both speeches. If you have a cost cap, usually you need a number associated with that, and that would be difficult. I must say that the Member for South Down Mr McGrath has admirably stepped in for his colleague who is apparently sunning herself somewhere. I found myself nodding along with him on several occasions during his speech, because I completely agree that the purpose of the legislation is to make sure that no child is prohibited from being sent, and no parent or family feels prohibited from sending their child, to any given school due to cost. I recall one young lady coming to the Committee. I think that this has been talked about, but it is interesting how we all remember these things, and I remember something slightly different in the evidence that she gave. She said that she would like to play more sports in sixth form. I think that she had moved school. She was moving into what we would maybe call lower sixth. I am sure that there is a number for that these days, but, in old money, it was lower sixth. She was very sporty, and she was just chatting away. What I loved about her was the openness. She shared what she thought. She said, "I would love to play more sport, but my family simply can't afford the range of sports gear and kit that I would require to do the things that I want to do in lower sixth". I know that that impacted on the Committee and on some Members in the Chamber. It is probably the single most important thing that stuck with me during the entire Committee Stage. That is what I believe that the Bill will address. I say to the Member for South Down, "Have faith", because when the Bill gets legislative status and the guidelines are there, it will help children in that sort of situation avoid being faced with the choice that that girl had.

Members, there was significant debate in Committee on the Bill.

I will give way to the Deputy Chair.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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