Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I thank the Minister for his statement and commend him for the work that he is doing with TransformED. In your statement, Minister, you mention the review of the curriculum and the potential for that to gather pace. I would be grateful if you could provide some more detail on how that pace will be gathered.
Minister, you referenced the RAISE programme in your statement: it has been flawed from the outset. Why did you reference that in relation to TransformED, when it was initially meant to be a two-year programme? Has further funding been made available by the Dublin Government?
I thank the Minister for that update. Does he agree that educational underattainment among boys is a particular issue in Northern Ireland and that a more balanced workforce, by way of attracting more male teachers into the profession, would help to provide positive role models in the education sector? Is there any…
I thank the Minister for his statement, which is incredibly welcome. In response to the Member for West Tyrone, he reflected that, in broad terms, the sector — I concur with the Minister — is right behind TransformED. There is so much that I could pick up on, but I will touch on the teacher professional learning fund,…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a ráiteas. In his statement, the Minister said that we will benchmark against some of the highest-performing education systems elsewhere. If we benchmark against the education system in the South of the island, the evidence shows that we lag miles behind it. Far more young people in…
Minister, you paint TransformED as a world-leading reform agenda, but the reality on the ground tells a different story. Teachers are demoralised, classrooms are overcrowded and schools are underfunded and crumbling. School inspection has been paralysed for years. Given that the Department of Education has been run by…
In March, I stood in the Assembly to launch TransformED NI, which is my new strategy for transforming teaching and learning. The strategy sets out a bold and ambitious vision for educational reform in Northern Ireland and is informed by what works best in education systems across the world. Unlike too many other…
On a point of order. Mr Speaker. Will you review the comments that the Education Minister just made? I think that he has misled the House. He said that he was talking sense. I think that most of us would find that hard to believe.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, in an interview with Cool FM, the Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister made an extraordinary attack on the teaching profession. She suggested that, on the basis of a common-sense policy that I set out in May and reiterated yesterday regarding transgender issues, some…
FlaggedGender, sexuality, abortion and related social issuesCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, during the question for urgent oral answer on gender identity services, the Minister of Health stated that he was: "not aware of any costs for primary care or for general practitioners", and that GPs would simply: "refer into CAMHS as they do for ... other issues". —…
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I take this opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution that the loyal orders and the marching bands scene made to the cultural life of Northern Ireland over the summer months. Every year, the streets of Ulster resound to the music of marching bands that have spent the winter…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
The hapless state of the UK and Ireland surrounding uncontrolled and illegal immigration has continued to be exposed. Over 50,000 people entered the UK illegally on small boats in the past year, with 1,000 arriving on Saturday alone, costing the UK taxpayer billions of pounds annually. However, it is not just the UK…
FlaggedImmigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and TravellersCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging.
Once again, regrettably, I rise to address the issue of the ongoing vandalism and destruction of dual language road signs in south Tyrone, with the Irish language being targeted. It is disappointing that it continues to be the case. It is a clear attack on our culture. For many years, activists have campaigned to…
As the Assembly returns from the summer recess, I look ahead with a simple but urgent message: what we have here is not working. For too long, the north-west has been left behind when it comes to infrastructure and regional development. Nowhere is that clearer than with rail. Despite decades of underinvestment, the…
The stopping of the MV Matthew in Irish territorial waters in 2023 by the LÉ William Butler Yeats, supported by the Irish Army Ranger Wing and aircraft from the Irish Air Corps, is to be commended. The seizure of 2·2 tons of cocaine was a significant drugs haul, but, judging from the changes in illicit drug prices…
I stand to reflect on 1 September, Orange Victims Day. The date was picked due to the horrendous crime that took place on 1 September 1975, when five innocent men were slaughtered in Tullyvallen Orange Hall, 50 years ago last week. At the weekend, I attended an event in the Apprentice Boys Hall in Londonderry, which…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Controversy escalation.
The appetite and desire for change has grown across this island among people from various backgrounds and walks of life. We have seen directly, through our party's commission on the future of Ireland, the positive vision that people have for Ireland. Whether you are in Keady or Kildare, Armagh or Athlone, Tyrone or…
Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day. It is a day when we reflect and remember the people whose lives were cut short by suicide. Those people are not just statistics; they are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours. However, the Executive seem to have become desensitised to…
On Emergency Services Day, I pay tribute to all the men and women of the emergency services across Northern Ireland. Today, I am proud to wear my Police Federation tie, which was a gift from the federation. Our emergency services do tremendous work for all the people of Northern Ireland. They put themselves in harm's…
I rise to speak about the prolonged closure of Tollymore National Outdoor Centre in Bryansford, just outside Newcastle. I have a personal connection in that I attended courses at the centre as a teenager and gained a number of qualifications there after university. I went on to pursue a career in the outdoors. I met…
I have been contacted today by a number of teachers who are absolutely appalled by the stance of some of the teachers' unions and by the commentary and wording of the Justice Minister, Naomi Long. She said there will potentially be: "open season on bullying of young people, not just by other peers in their class and…