Failure to make progress on ESA would be scandalous given cuts

Alliance Education Spokesperson Trevor Lunn MLA had said that given the massive cuts imposed by Westminster it would be scandalous were politicians here not to move forward swiftly with the creation of the Education and Skills Authority. Introducing ESA would save £21m over the first two years according to a recent Assembly question.

Trevor Lunn MLA said: “It would be absolutely scandalous if agreement could not be found to allow us to proceed with ESA. We need to take radical but sensible decisions to ensure vital services can be safeguarded here. The creation of ESA would unlock a lot of money every year and could also help deliver a more effective and more strategic approach as regards governance on education.

“It would be criminal for government here to allow this golden opportunity to slip away and to squander more money on the current education system.

“ESA would not only help us to save cash, it would also enable us to take a more holistic approach across the board to tackling division in our schools system. ESA would help us to deliver more sharing and integration in schools.”

ENDS