Integrated Education Bill (Northern Ireland)

Last updated

The Integrated Education Bill is a private member's bill that was proposed by Kellie Armstrong of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. [1]

Contents

The bill completed Final Stage in the NI Assembly on 9 March 2022./ [2]

Reactions

Support

Amanda McNamee, principal of Lagan College, supported the bill to parents of pupils, saying it will "provide genuine and much needed choice" to parents. [3] She said that she supports "parental choice" and meeting the demand for integrated education. [3] She also said that the bill would not "damage and limit other schools". [3]

Both the SDLP and Sinn Féin support the bill. [4]

Criticism

In July 2021 John O'Dowd of Sinn Féin said during the second stage debates of the Integrated Education Bill that while integrated schools promote inclusivity "there's only one or very few play Gaelic games. There's none promote the Irish language. I will correct myself: I think that there is one. The identity in it is not neutral - in many of them it is British." [5] He also said "You can pay homage to the Crown but to no-one else". [5] He said that he supported the principle of the bill but urged the integrated sector to "get its head around" how it promotes "all identities". [5] He also said "The reason why we have such a separated education system dating back to the 1920s - and I am no defender of the Catholic hierarchy - is because the Catholic Church took a very strong view of this," he told committee members. That to keep Irish identity, Irish culture alive in a partitioned state, it would have to have its own education system." [5]

Kellie Armstrong replied that she had never seen that in any integrated school she had visited. [5] She said "In the integrated schools that I go into, I see a culture that is reflective of everyone who attends there and is respectful of all cultures." [5] Regarding promoting the Irish language and Gaelic games she said "I'm somewhat at a loss given the fact that Lagan College and Drumragh Integrated College have both been former winners of the JJ Reilly Cup. Kellie Armstrong says all cultures are respected through integrated education My own daughter played hurling for her integrated college." [5]

She also said "Irish culture is not eroded, neither is British culture. Integrated education isn't about assimilating young people into one culture - it's about celebrating all cultures." [5]

During Final Stage debate on the 9th March 2022, Mr O’Dowd confirmed “ During the Second Stage debate, I made comments about GAA sports and the Irish language that were unfair to the integrated sector. I put on record my apologies for those comments. In the heat of debate, I went too far, but I can now support the Bill at Final Stage”. [2]

The Democratic Unionist Party tabled a petition of concern to oppose the bill in March 2022, before the final reading of the bill. [4] Diane Dodds of the DUP claimed it would be a"dereliction of duty to 93% of pupils in Northern Ireland" if other MLAs opposed to "segregation and elevation of one sector of our education system" didn't sign it. [4] She said it was "bad law" and "I want to see children educated together but this Bill will penalise controlled and maintained schools because they have the wrong sign above the door not because of any failing with inclusion." [4]

Pat Sheehan of Sinn Féin described the actions of the DUP as a "shameful stunt". [4] He said "It’s shameful that the DUP is trying to use the Petition of Concern to block a Bill on integrated education. The irony is, the DUP are using a mechanism which has not been deployed in this mandate in an effort to prevent children being educated together. This is yet another example of the DUP’s opposition to progressive change." [4]

The DUP and TUV signed the Petition of Concern but failed to achieve the 30 signatures required to halt the progress of the Bill.

Vote

The Ulster Unionist Party did not support the petition of concern but opposed the bill.

The bill was passed 49 votes to 38. [1] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Unionist Party</span> Political party in Northern Ireland

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by Jeffrey Donaldson, it is the second largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and is the fifth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The party has been described as centre-right to right-wing and socially conservative, being anti-abortion and opposing same-sex marriage. The DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and republicanism. It is also Eurosceptic and supported Brexit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Assembly</span> Legislature of Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Assembly, often referred to by the metonym Stormont, is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive. It sits at Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Donaldson</span> Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party

Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson is a British politician who has served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since June 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lagan Valley since 1997, and leader of the DUP in the UK House of Commons since 2019. As of 2022, he is Northern Ireland's longest-serving MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme</span>

Peter James Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who served as Minister for Education in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2016 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021. Weir was the first non-Sinn Féin legislator to head the Department of Education since the department came into existence on 2 December 1999.

Integrated education in Northern Ireland refers to the bringing together of children, parents and teachers from both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions in childhood education: the aim being to provide a balanced education, while allowing the opportunity to understand and respect all cultural and religious backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John O'Dowd</span> Irish politician

John Fitzgerald O'Dowd is an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Upper Bann since 2003. He was previously the Minister for Infrastructure from May to October 2022 and the Minister for Education in the Stormont Executive from 2011 to 2016. He briefly took on the duties of deputy First Minister in 2011 while Martin McGuinness ran in the 2011 Irish presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Wednesday, 7 March 2007. It was the third election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, along with the Alliance Party, increase their support, with falls in support for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitríona Ruane</span>

Caitríona Ruane is a Sinn Féin politician who served as the Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2016 to 2017, and was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for South Down from 2003 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daithí McKay</span> Irish politician (born 1982)

Daithí Gerard McKay is a newspaper columnist and former Irish politician. He was the Chair of the Finance Committee in the Northern Ireland Assembly and a Sinn Féin MLA for North Antrim for 9 years. He brought forward legislation that led to the introduction of a Carrier Bag Levy in Northern Ireland and the abolishment of rates for Community Amateur Sport Clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle O'Neill</span> Vice President of Sinn Féin

Michelle O'Neill is an Irish politician who served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland between 2020 and 2022. She has been serving as Vice President of Sinn Féin since 2018 and is the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Mid Ulster since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Lunn</span>

Trevor Lunn is an independent politician in Northern Ireland and former member of the Alliance Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional Unionist Voice</span> Political party in Northern Ireland

The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. In common with all other Northern Irish unionist parties, the TUV's political programme has as its sine qua non the preservation of Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom. A founding precept of the party is that "nothing which is morally wrong can be politically right".

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Northern Ireland since 13 January 2020, following the enactment of the Northern Ireland Act 2019. The first marriage ceremony took place on 11 February 2020. Civil partnerships have also been available for same-sex couples in Northern Ireland since their introduction by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Givan</span> Former First Minister of Northern Ireland

Paul Jonathan Givan is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland representing the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Givan served as First Minister of Northern Ireland from June 2021 to February 2022, the youngest person to hold that office. Givan is the DUP's Spokesperson for Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland</span>

The 2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 5 May 2005 and all 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. 1,139,993 people were eligible to vote, down 51,016 from the 2001 general election. 63.49% of eligible voters turned out, down 5.1 percentage points from the last general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span>

The 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 2 March 2017. The election was held to elect members (MLAs) following the resignation of deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. McGuinness' position was not filled, and thus by law his resignation triggered an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renewable Heat Incentive scandal</span> Public spending scandal in Northern Ireland

The Renewable Heat Incentive scandal, also referred to as RHIgate and the Cash for Ash scandal, is a political scandal in Northern Ireland that centres on a failed renewable energy incentive scheme that has been reported to potentially cost the public purse almost £500 million. The plan, initiated in 2012, was overseen by Arlene Foster of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the then-Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Foster failed to introduce proper cost controls, allowing the plan to spiral out of control. The scheme worked by paying applicants to use renewable energy. However, the rate paid was more than the cost of the fuel, and thus many applicants were making profits simply by heating their properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election</span> Election held in Northern Ireland

The 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on 5 May 2022. It elected 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It was the seventh assembly election since the establishment of the assembly in 1998. The election was held three months after the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed due to the resignation of the First Minister, Paul Givan (DUP), in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022</span> Legislation in Northern Ireland

The Identity and Language Act 2022 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom providing "official recognition of the status of the Irish language" in Northern Ireland, with Ulster Scots being an officially recognised minority language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Protocol Bill</span> Proposed disapplication of parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol

The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill 2022–23 was a proposed Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sought to unilaterally override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP). The NIP is the part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement that governs some aspects of trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, as well as between Northern Ireland and the European Union. The bill was introduced to address what the government call 'unacceptable barriers to trade' that the protocol introduced within the UK internal market. The bill was criticised by most members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, by the European Commission, and by member states of the European Union. It was characterised in the UK and abroad as a breach of international law.

References

  1. 1 2 "Assembly passes integrated educational bill after UUP refuses to back petition of concern". RTÉ News. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 "The Northern Ireland Assembly". www.niassembly.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Integrated education: Lagan College backs new bill". BBC News. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sinn Fein blasts DUP integrated education petition of concern bid a 'shameful stunt'". ITV News. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Integrated schools defended by Alliance after Sinn Féin criticism". BBC News. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "NI Assembly passes integrated education bill". ITV News. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.