The Lagan Valley MLA stated: “This Executive is doing nothing to end segregation. They should be starting by giving our young people the best possible chance through integrated education.
“This Executive should act to create enough integrated places to meet demand and give every parent at least the option of sending their children to integrated schools.
“Segregation has devastating human and financial implications. It costs Northern Ireland over one billion pounds every year. Maintaining division means cash wasted on duplicate school, housing and services. The cash lost could be spent improving vital services for local people.
“There is a Berlin Wall of segregation in Northern Ireland. Because Sinn Fein and the DUP sit in government, they want people to think this gives us a real shared future. That is total nonsense.
“Nothing has changed on the ground to bring the community closer together, The Programme for Government has done nothing in this area except deliver meaningless themes like ‘a better future’.
“We want actions not empty words. The DUP and Sinn Fein powerbrokers are sitting in the same ivory tower administration and they are quite content to do nothing to end segregation on our streets. They want to keep their sectarian powerbases and the way they can do this is by maintaining a divided society. Division is in the interests of no one except the tribal parties. Local people suffer, businesses suffer and our public services suffer.
“Start ending segregation now and start at grassroots level by providing more integrated school places.”
ENDS