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 Member for that question. Every year, we seek to review and reach a settlement on pay. A short time after the Executive's restoration, teachers' pay increased by over 10%. That was backdated. We resolved the industrial action by our support staff and delivered a significant increase in their pay. We review…
I appreciate the Minister's work on the issue. Is there a long-term strategy to ensure competitive pay for teachers in Northern Ireland? How often will teachers' salaries be reviewed?
We are incredibly fortunate in this country: teaching is a valued profession here and we have high levels of application to all our initial teacher training colleges. As an Executive, we want to attract the brightest and best to the profession. I and the Executive support that position. Northern Ireland negotiates…
I thank the Member for that question. Three of the four unions balloted purely on the pay issue, but one union included issues to do with workload. My original response highlighted issues to do with workload, including commitments that were made and work streams that we have been taking forward. A timetable for the…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. Will you outline for the House what plans you have to consult teachers' unions and other trade unions to review teacher and classroom assistant workloads in order to better represent the reality of life in the classroom for them?
I agree with the Member on the hugely important contribution that our teaching staff and support staff make. That is why, when the institutions were restored, the Executive prioritised them. The Finance Minister made funding available, and I worked with the unions to negotiate a pay settlement that resolved a…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, as you will be well aware, the pay issue goes much wider than just our teachers. Our classroom assistants are very frustrated by their pay increase. Have you met classroom assistants and engaged with them directly? They are among the lowest-paid workers across society,…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 8 together. Through the Teachers' Negotiating Committee (TNC), a joint pay group is operational, and meetings are taking place with employers, sectoral support bodies and the recognised teaching trade unions — represented by the Northern Ireland Teachers'…
My immediate priority is to make sure that that work is carried out. It causes me concern that nearly £1 million was spent in 2015 and we now have issues around the suitability of what was purchased within the past 10 years. That is not a satisfactory position to be in. I know that legal opinion, including from the…
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for that additional time to prepare. I also thank the Minister for his answer and the attention paid to this matter. Given that the Departmental Solicitor's Office (DSO) has advised that health and safety issues can be addressed, apparently, and that the EA has been instructed to carry out…
My Department has instructed the Education Authority (EA) to undertake urgent remedial health and safety works to the modular building at Maine Integrated Primary School. The works are being scoped and will be delivered as quickly as possible. Drainage, structural and condition surveys of the modular building are…
I thank the Member for his interest in this subject. He is right to draw out comparisons with other jurisdictions. We have looked at those experiences. England put its guidance on a statutory footing. We will now do that through this legislation, which will contain a provision to allow the Education and Training…
I welcome the continued commitment to bring legislation on the issue. I assure the Minister that the Education Committee is ready to do the scrutiny work. He will be aware of some of the issues that arose in England when the legislation was changed, as parents reported back that it did not have any real teeth, despite…
I confirm to the Member that I will be seeking to take a power in the legislation to introduce a cap. We have consulted on that. It is important, and I am sure that the Education Committee will look into it. What will be the consequences of a cap? Some evidence suggests that a cap can, at times, suggest a limit for…
I thank the Member for raising this important issue. The timeline is that I will bring the draft Bill to the Executive to seek their agreement to introduce it, and, as soon as that is granted, I will bring it to you, Mr Speaker, and confirm a date for its introduction. Standing Orders allow a minimum number of…
I thank the Minister for his answer and for his efforts in tackling the issue. Will he outline what the timescales are for the legal process to bring the Bill into operation? How does he think that it will benefit hard-pressed families?
I wrote to my Executive colleagues on 18 November last year setting out the policy proposals underpinning a school uniforms Bill and seeking agreement for my Department to formally engage with the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC). I received Executive agreement on 5 December last year. The Bill's underpinning…
I thank the Member for giving way. I will keep this as brief as I can, because you will get an extra minute. I recognise your point about Elephant in the Room. Obviously, we had Pure Mental NI, which was established, but, unfortunately, we have now lost it. There is an opportunity to recover it. In and around the…
I thank the Member who proposed the motion. I give credit where credit is due, because, at most Health Committee meetings, she brings up issues to do with mental health and dual diagnosis and how we can tackle those. She is very passionate about those issues, and I am glad that we have the opportunity to highlight…
I thank those who tabled the motion, and I thank those Members who have spoken for the tone that they have used and the issues that have been raised in the debate. It is good to see the Assembly united and speaking with one voice about the stigma with mental health difficulties. In my few remarks, I want to focus on…
This issue transcends all political divisions, touches every corner of society and affects individuals and families across the North. Mental health challenges do not discriminate. They impact on people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that no person facing mental ill…
I completely agree with the Member's sentiment about a unified House on the issue, but surely the time for nice words is long past. People need to see action and a reform of our mental health services in Northern Ireland. As we talk about them, those services are failing people, and the Executive need to take…