§ 3. Mr. Cyril D. TownsendTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the integration of schools in Northern Ireland.
§ The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Dr. Brian Mawhinney)The Department of Education has, so far, approved 15 proposals for integrated status made under the integrated schools provisions of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
§ Mr. TownsendI welcome the work that the Government have done in that important respect. Is my hon. Friend the Minister aware of a recent report suggesting that pupils from such schools are most likely to take a particularly dim view of all paramilitary organisations? Is he further aware that a problem exists in finding suitable financial resources for nursery education? Will he see what can be done about that?
§ Dr. MawhinneyI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments. It is certainly encouraging that parents, not government, are choosing to expand the number of integrated schools in the Province. I am sure that my hon. Friend is right, in that it makes sense to believe that if young people from both sides of the community are taught together in the same classrooms, they will value equally both traditions and will be more likely than some others to find common ground in later life. I will bring my hon. Friend's point about nursery education to the attention of my right hon. and noble Friend the Paymaster General.
Mr. John D. TaylorWill the Minister commend Lagan college in my constituency for the progress that it has made 979 in the past 10 years? Can he confirm that there will be no discrimination against state schools, for which the majority of parents still exercise a preference, or in favour of the segregated education system that the Roman Catholic Church and most Catholic parents want to maintain? Will the Minister assure the House that there will be no barrier to those who oppose integrated schools serving on the boards of governors of integrated schools?
§ Dr. MawhinneyI am happy to join the right hon. Gentleman in commending Lagan college's achievements. He and I were present at the recent opening of its new school building, for which I had the pleasure of being the Minister responsible for making available the necessary resources. I certainly assure the right hon. Gentleman that there is no sense in which the Government want positively to discriminate in favour of one type of schooling over others, because parents have a right to choose. The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 put integrated schools alongside two other alternatives from which parents could choose. As to the right hon. Gentleman's last point, there will be no bar to any governor being appointed to the board of an integrated school, provided that the appointment complies with the provisions laid down in the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.