Trevor Lunn MLA said: “Good progress has been made by the four parties involved in the talks and many areas of consensus have been found. The new year will hopefully provide a fresh outlook from Sinn Fein because the public want more cooperation to help resolve the transfer crisis.
“As I have said before, there is an open invitation to Sinn Fein to join the talks and I would hope that they do so for the good of our education system.
“These talks are about seeking practical solutions to very real problems surrounding post-primary transfer. The Assembly as a whole could learn a lesson or two from the talks, because real dialogue on other difficult issues would enable the Executive to deliver more for the people of Northern Ireland.”
ENDS