You are running a little over your time.

I apologise if I cannot get to all of the Members' questions or points. I ask you to indulge me with a few more minutes to complete my general overview of the points that were raised. I will reply in writing to Members on points that I do not address which are of particular concern to them.

Careers education has been emphasised by many Members. A review is taking place, and Prof Fulton will report in the near future. A new course at Magee College is being provided to ensure that professional training and development exists locally. Members will see a significant change in career guidance provision. We must remember that independent career guidance is provided through existing jobcentres, so we are not totally reliant on the guidance provided at school level. We need to work on developing and improving that service.

Many Members have referred to the need to strengthen and develop relationships with the business community, particularly through our further education colleges. I certainly endorse that. Members have called for a spread of provision within the further education sector, and for a concentration on specialisation. Members will recall that through funds made available last year, moneys have gone to colleges to encourage them to work together. Several colleges have formed alliances under these auspices, supported by the funds made available. Centres of excellence have been identified in many of our colleges - a point made by several Members. Our further education sector needs to continue providing the broad range of courses that has traditionally been provided.

Frequent reference is made to the institutes of technology in the South. I direct Members' attention to a strong warning made to the colleges there by an authority, only last week, about the danger of what is described as "upward drift". This, in other words, is moving out of the provision of the broad range of vocational, business and technical courses in order to try to emulate the universities. What we have here is an opportunity to maintain the best of both, and in our strategy we will have that very much in mind.

I take on board points made with respect to the need to keep in touch with developments in how training is organised. I note the suggestion by some Members that there may well be unnecessary overprovision, and competing provision, in some elements of training. It is important to point out that all training providers are subject to supervision, evaluation and assessment by my Department, and the standards are national, not local.

I am sorry, Minister, but you have now used up your time.

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. Curtailed as I am, I trust that I have attempted to indicate a positive response and a welcome for the report. It is a clear indication of how our Committee system is working well in conjunction with Ministers, enabling us to plan effectively for the future of those areas that we have responsibility for.

I thank everyone who spoke, especially the Minister, the Chairperson of the Committee for Education and the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. I quote from George Bernard Shaw:

The linking of skills and jobs is of general interest and not just for us as individual politicians. Certain themes have been raised repeatedly in the last two hours. These include the need for a comprehensible skills strategy in co-operation with the private sector; the urgency of dealing with the appallingly high level of poor basic adult literacy and numeracy; the importance of having comprehensive careers guidance for young people - as well as for those already well established in the labour force - and the need to reverse a historical trend against funding for university-based research and development.

I apologise to Members for the relatively small period between the arrival of this tome in the post and today's debate. The report has been lodged in the Business Office for some time, and we did attempt to circulate the relevant recommendations to Committees over a week ago.

The report suggests that workers and managers should be able to stand tall as regards qualifications that are recognised and interchangeable with those in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the world. Our universities should establish research partnerships whenever it is appropriate, and that may be in a North/South direction, with the rest of the UK, or with the world.

I applaud the Minister for his Department's objective of embedding a culture of lifelong learning. The Committee will await the result of the current needs and effectiveness evaluation to see what extra resources are needed to realise that goal and to measure the productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the existing resources. The Committee welcomes his commitment to respond quickly to the recommendations. I am aware that, to use a school analogy, I am racing against the lunch-break bell.

It is very appropriate that we have debated the motion today, because it is about the future. We have done so in a harmonious spirit, and I hope that the media will reflect that. Earlier, there was at least one school party in the Gallery. In a sense we are dealing with their future and the future of all the young people of the Province. Few areas are of greater significance to a regional Government, therefore I urge the House to support the motion.

'Guide to the Rules Relating to the Conduct of Members'

Order. The next 11 motions relate to the 'Guide to the Rules Relating to the Conduct of Members'. They are all on similar subjects, and I propose, therefore, to conduct one debate on all of them. I shall ask the Clerk to read the first motion, and then I will call on the Chairperson of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, who has a problem with his voice today. I hope that he will be able to manage; perhaps Mr Beggs will give some assistance. The debate that will then take place will be on all 11 motions, and I shall call the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson to make a winding-up speech, if necessary.

I will put the Question on the first motion. I will then have the Clerk read all the motions that are relevant and ask that those Questions be put en bloc. I see no purpose in going through all of them seriatim, unless a Member objects. If a Member objects, we will take the vote on that particular motion separately.

I am pleased to support the motion to amend the 'Guide to the Rules Relating to the Conduct of Members', which was initially approved by the Assembly on 14 December 1999.

The Standards and Privileges Committee completed an inquiry into the possible appointment of an Assembly commissioner for standards. The Committee report was considered and approved unanimously by the Assembly on 2 April 2001. As a result of recommendations contained in the report, several changes to the 'Guide to the Rules Relating to the Conduct of Members' are required. The motions in the Order Paper reflect the necessary amendments. Some additional changes are required because of inaccuracies or omissions in the current guide.

The first motion proposes the deletion of paragraph 3 of the guide and the insertion of the suggested wording. That change will take into account the additional paragraphs 73 and 74 to the guide. The remaining motions propose the deletion of other specified paragraphs of the guide and the insertion of the wording given in the Order Paper. Paragraph 10 will be amended to take account of the provisions of section 35 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which permits the Secretary of State to

Paragraph 33 will be amended to include the word "influence", which was omitted from the original guide, thus extending its coverage. Paragraph 67 will be amended to provide clarification of privilege as it relates to complaints against Members.

Paragraph 68 will be amended to provide for all complaints to be referred to the commissioner for standards, in accordance with one of the recommendations in the Committee's report. The amendments to paragraphs 69 and 70 reflect two of the recommendations in the Committee's report about reporting arrangements between the commissioner and the Committee.

The amendment to paragraph 71 reflects one of the recommendations in the Committee's report about the procedures involved in the Committee's reporting to the Assembly. The amendment to paragraph 72 reflects one of the recommendations of the Committee's report. Standing Orders empower the Committee on Standards and Privileges to recommend sanctions against Members, but the Assembly will still have the final say.

Finally, paragraphs 73 and 74 have been renumbered. There is no change to their substance.

All these amendments reflect some of the provisions of the Committee's report on the appointment of an Assembly commissioner for standards, which was endorsed by this House in April this year. I commend the amendments to the House, and I ask Members to support the motion.

Oral Answers to Questions

Education

1.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he is taking to protect and vindicate the rights of children and parents travelling to and from Holy Cross Primary School.

(AQO 295/01)

14.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he is taking to bring an end to the daily attacks on the schoolchildren of Holy Cross Primary School.

(AQO 294/01)

The Minister of Education (Mr M McGuinness): A Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, I will take questions 1 and 14 together as they both relate to Holy Cross Girls' Primary School in north Belfast.

I am concerned about disruption and attacks on pupils at any school. I am therefore concerned about the situation surrounding Holy Cross Girls' Primary School and the disruption and anxiety caused to teachers, pupils and parents. All parents have the right to escort their children to school free from impediment, and children have the right to be educated in a safe and secure environment that is conducive to learning.

The protest is unacceptable and must end immediately. The Department of Education will continue to support the board of governors, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and the Belfast Education and Library Board in their efforts to ensure that that is achieved for the pupils attending Holy Cross Girls' Primary School and the nearby controlled school, Wheatfield Primary. Departmental officials are in regular contact with the relevant education authorities and are monitoring the situation closely.

Additional support has been provided to Holy Cross Girls' Primary School and, along with the CCMS and the Belfast Education and Library Board, the Department is considering what further assistance may be required by the two schools. In addition, the Executive have established an interdepartmental liaison group of officials and have appointed a senior liaison officer who works from an office in north Belfast that is accessible to all sections of the community. That group has been established to provide regular reports to the Executive on the situation, and the Department of Education is represented on that group at a senior level.

While the Department of Education, along with the CCMS and the Belfast Education and Library Board, is providing that support, the situation at Holy Cross Primary School can be resolved only by dialogue between the local communities. I have repeatedly urged local representatives to come together to resolve their issues.

Will the Minister tell the House what support has been put in place for the Holy Cross Primary School teachers and pupils?

Additional staffing has been provided to Holy Cross Primary School, and further support for both schools is under consideration by the Department of Education in conjunction with the CCMS and the Belfast Education and Library Board. Funding and approval for two exceptional closure days was given to support the residential course for the teaching staff, and that was used to assist them in dealing with trauma.

I thank the Minister for his response so far. Notwithstanding the present review of post-primary provision - which, it is hoped, will bring an end to the transfer test - will the Minister be able to do anything to ensure that the children of Holy Cross Primary School will not be disadvantaged by their present trauma while sitting the transfer test?

It is vital that pupils sitting the transfer test can prepare properly and are able to sit the test in a stress-free environment. It is hoped that the protest will have ended by 9 November, the date of the first test. Funding has been agreed to enable the teachers to provide additional curriculum support to pupils at Holy Cross who are taking the transfer test this year. The Department has also been in touch with the school authorities, who will take appropriate steps to ensure that the children can take the transfer test in a calm and orderly atmosphere. The Department and the statutory education authorities will do all that they can to help the school achieve that.

Has the Minister implemented any initiatives in other schools, particularly the Belfast Model School for Girls, the Belfast Boys' Model School, Castle High School, Glengormley High School and Newtownabbey Community High School, all of which have been attacked in the past few weeks? I spoke to officials from Translink today, and there have been somewhere in the region of 146 attacks since 3 September. Are any initiatives being implemented to ensure that Protestant children can travel to and from school without attack? Are teachers being given advice on how to help with that?

My feelings on the situation in the north Belfast area have been made abundantly clear during this period, which has been so detrimental to the pupils, their parents and society.

Attacks on school buses are absolutely despicable and deplorable, and the Department keeps all of this under constant review. Recently I have issued countless statements calling on all those responsible for the attack and intimidation of schoolchildren to bring their activities to an end. Community and political representatives have a huge responsibility to state their opposition to the ongoing abuse of children. It does not matter which section of society, school, or school bus is involved; attacks, intimidation, threats, and abuse of children are totally unacceptable.

The Assembly has an important role to play. Several Assembly Members have recently made positive efforts to encourage dialogue within the community to have this resolved. I commend them for their initiative. They must be supported by Members from other political parties. There is a responsibility on everyone in the House to ensure that we play as constructive a role as possible. We can make it perfectly clear to everyone that it is unacceptable to attack children and that it should end immediately.

I welcome the Minister's reaffirmation of the right of parents to bring their children to school safely. Fr Troy, the chairman of the school board of governors, has suggested that parents may choose to bring their children to school by car or bus given the current onset of inclement weather. At the same time, they can maintain the right or the option to walk their children to school. What is the Minister's reaction to that suggestion?

Fr Troy and Anne Tanney, the principal of the Holy Cross Girl's School, have played heroic roles in the defence of children and their right to education. I salute their leadership and the way in which they have managed a difficult situation.

The right of access to all schools must be maintained; it is vital that people have right of access. However, it is for parents to decide how their children get to school. Parents will have my fullest support whatever their decision. That is the only basis on which we can proceed. People have the right to bring their children to school; they have a right to decide what transport they will use.

2.

asked the Minister of Education to detail what he intends to do to raise awareness of human rights issues in schools.

(AQO 291/01)

It is vital that there be greater awareness of human rights issues throughout the education system, particularly in schools. Human rights and equality are central tenets of the Good Friday Agreement. As part of the process to raise awareness of human rights, the Department recently held a conference on human rights in education, at which I announced several specific initiatives.

First, the Department is funding the appointment of an advisory teacher for a period of two years, who will be based in the Children's Law Centre. This person will develop human rights information and learning materials. Secondly, I have given my approval to the appointment of five teachers who, working in conjunction with the Human Rights Commission, will assist in raising awareness of human rights issues in post-primary schools, including the consultation on the recently launched proposed bill of rights.

The curriculum also has an important role to play in raising awareness of human rights issues. Members may be aware of the work being carried out by Prof Alan Smith and Mr Michael Arlow of the University of Ulster. That pilot project in a citizenship curriculum is firmly based on human rights values.

My Department and I will continue to work in partnership with the Human Rights Commission and those in the education sector to ensure that human rights issues remain high on the educational agenda.

When will those five teachers be in post?

Recruitment will start shortly, and the teachers will be in post as soon as is practicable.

Are they new posts? How much will they cost? Under which heading will they be funded? How can the Minister justify the posts when schools are making redundancies and are struggling to provide the core curriculum because their level of funding is not high enough?

There is indeed pressure on schools and on the education budget. However, the issue of human rights is important. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement there is a responsibility on all Departments to co-operate with the Human Rights Commission. I have held several meetings with the commission, and I appreciate the important role it plays.

I do not have the details regarding funding for the posts. However, I will write to the Member with that information as soon as I can.

3.

asked the Minister of Education to detail the timescale for the implementation of a new common funding formula for grant-aided schools.

(AQO 287/01)

I announced on 4 October that implementation of the common funding formula will be postponed until April 2003. The consultation on the Department of Education's proposals ended on 21 September. The decision to postpone allows more time to consider in detail the responses to the consultation, to prepare legislation, and to complete the necessary groundwork and practical arrangements for the implementation of the formula.

Does the Minister accept that the use of the words "gainers" and "losers" to describe schools in his Department's consultation document is a cause of disquiet for teachers and governors? Does he agree that the use of such terms, given that they smack of market forces, should have no place in the vocabulary of any educationalist? Given the extended timescale he has announced, the common funding formula should concentrate on the delivery of equal support to all children in all schools.

I was not aware that the use of those words had created problems. I have not received any critical responses. Since the Member has raised the issue, the Department must consider those views. The rationale behind the common funding formula is to bring about a fairer and more equitable education system. Much work remains to be done regarding further consideration of the consultation document and the legislation that will be brought before the House. When the work is completed, the common funding formula will benefit all schools.

Many people are concerned about the common funding formula. There are children in TSN areas who are disadvantaged because of the current funding formula, which is linked to the uptake of free school meals. What steps is the Minister taking to address that issue?

TSN is an important element of the common funding formula. A 10% increase, from £40 million to £44 million, has been proposed. My Department is concerned about the issue.

Great efforts are being made to ensure that TSN is aimed at areas of social need and needy pupils. We are also dealing with important educational indicators in an endeavour to ensure that we are dealing with all pupils who are experiencing difficulties.

The House needs to be reminded that we are working hard with the continuing school support programme and the issue of group 1 schools. It will be understood that a comprehensive view is being taken of this situation and TSN. New TSN will give funds to children with educational needs, and that will enhance our education system and allow us to continue monitoring the situation so that support is directed to the classrooms which need it.

4.

asked the Minister of Education what action will be taken to ensure that all young people have a right to mainstream education.

(AQO 293/01)

All children have a right to education, and there is a presumption that that will be provided in a mainstream school. Education and library boards have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient places in their respective areas to meet potential demand.

What is being done specifically about bullying in schools and pupils who are afraid to attend?

Every school is required to have a written discipline policy which must promote self- discipline, good behaviour and respect for others among pupils. Bullying behaviour is unacceptable and should be addressed by schools as part of their existing discipline policies. Many schools have voluntarily developed a separate anti-bullying policy. I intend to strengthen that by taking the next legislative opportunity to make it a mandatory requirement for every school to have and to implement an anti-bullying policy. My Department recently issued guidance to schools on promoting positive behaviour, and that contained advice on addressing bullying.

5.

asked the Minister of Education to detail the number of first preference applications and the number of children admitted to each post-primary school in September 2001.

(AQO 252/01)

The information requested for September 2001 is not available at present. The information for September 2000 is, however, available. This is extensive, and I have placed a copy of the data in the Assembly Library. When the data for September 2001 becomes available I will supply it to the Assembly Library; I will also provide the Member with a personal copy.

I thank the Minister for his response. As this was originally tabled as a question for written answer, I did not expect full details. That would take the entire 30 minutes. Can the Minister, therefore, confirm that integrated schools are, and remain, significantly oversubscribed compared to mainstream controlled and maintained schools? Will he inform the Assembly what action he is taking in the field of transformation to meet this great need?

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