Educational Achievement: West Belfast

Part of Adjournment – in the Northern Ireland Assembly am 6:30 pm ar 4 Mehefin 2024.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Paul Givan Paul Givan DUP 6:30, 4 Mehefin 2024

Apologies for that. Very briefly, a couple of Members raised a few points.

Mr Baker, I will follow up in more detail the project that you mentioned, and officials will engage with you on that.

Mr Carroll raised a number of issues around the 'A Fair Start' recommendations being underfunded. I point him to the announcement last week of £20 million, very much building on 'A Fair Start' — evidence of what can be changed and what the Executive are doing. Yes, we would like to do more, but I gently say to the Member — he will probably not listen to me — that you do not always have to have a pop at political parties. I think that everyone in the Chamber has tried to represent their constituencies, and I have demonstrated how West Belfast has made considerable progress over the years. That has been through all the parties representing that constituency and different political parties. Each of us in the Chamber is personally invested in education. I sat on the boards of governors of three schools for nearly 20 years, so I do not just do policy; I put it into practice. Brian Kingston said that he currently sits as a governor of two schools. The Member may or may not have sat on a board in the past, but we do get engaged at a grassroots level, and I am sure that he does too. However, there are occasions for me to gently say to the Member that you do not always need to politicise something such as this when we are trying to speak to issues that we have made progress on.

I appreciate that time is against me and that I have already exhausted your good grace, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their contributions.