Stakeholder

THE WEEK THAT WAS….

“Big wheels keep on turning, Carry me home to see my kin, Singing songs about the Southland, I miss Alabamy once again… Sweet home Alabama…”

It must be a tiring business being a political opponent of the Education Minister, vainly waiting for the ‘wheels’ to come off her political project.  Why can’t she just follow the lead of Belfast’s Big Wheel and grind to a halt they mutter, but Caitriona Ruane’s ‘Wheel of Misfortune’ just keeps on turning.  Any hopes they may have that misty-eyed songs about her ‘southland’ home in County Mayo will drag her away from the Education portfolio are badly misplaced.

Bar her own party faithful, the Minister has managed to raise the ire of every other main party and a large swathe of public opinion (she beat off hefty opposition to win the un-coveted ‘Most Disappointing Minister’ accolade in the Telegraph’s poll last autumn), but nothing will distract her from her task.  Teflon Tone and the Iron Lady are nothing to the titanium-covered Caitriona.

In the last few weeks the Minister has lobbed a few more political mortars into the ether, causing spasms of apoplexy with her desire to remove subsidies for pupils attending prep schools (without much consideration about who’ll pick up the cost if pupils end up transferring back into the state sector) and additional funding for Irish-language schools to be delivered via a third party because they didn’t meet the Department’s own capital fund requirements.

As proof that the three strikes and you’re out principle doesn’t work, it also emerged that the Minister’s guidelines for the abolition of academic selection may have landed schools in legal hot water.  In her defence, she branded proponents of academic as “immoral” – which was perhaps a tad harsh given the full smorgasbord of misdemeanours available in Northern Ireland’s public and political life which one could choose to criticise.  The Minister, however, remains impervious to howls of protest.  Her opponents may think she’s Lady Ga-Ga, but this lady isn’t for turning.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Oral Answers

The First Minister noted that the Draft Parades Bill, which was one of the out-workings of Hillsborough, will be completed in the next few weeks.  He also updated the House on the Executive’s progress to help Presbyterian Mutual savers and advised that the recent US trip was the most successful he and the DFM had made (including a meeting with the Director of the American National Security Council).

The DEL Minister talked about his upcoming Skills Conference, whilst the DETI Minister addressed a range of energy issues and her efforts to maintain Baker Hughes’ manufacturing presence in East Belfast.

Written Answers

DARD has spent over £100K in the last three years attending the Irish National Ploughing Championship, the Education Minister wasn’t able to estimate what the financial cost of withdrawing support for prep schools would be and DEL confirmed that the number of students at local universities had remained static for the last five years.

DETI revealed that 51,000 visitors have made use of the Belfast Hills Centre, DFP is not considering merging SIB and the Procurement Directorate, Health wants to offer telehealth services to 5,000 patients by 2011 and DSD confirmed that it will be a challenge to meet its new build social housing targets.

COMMITTEES

DARD brought in the bankers to consider financial services available to the agri-sector, DFP revisited Workplace 2010 while DEL is still ruminating over the merger of local teacher training colleges.

DRD’s speed merchants considered the Draft Rapid Transit Bill, Education considered legal advice about the Minister’s proposals for prep school funding and it was a hare-raising session at Environment who gave an initial green light for the return of Irish hare coursing.  The ‘surf’ dudes at DETI considered next generation broadband and DSD contemplated the development of Crumlin Road Gaol.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The House is in Recess until Monday 12^th April.

AND FINALLY….

What is it with DUP Members from Strangford and their desire to give the Speaker of the House indigestion?  Following the drunk’s maxim, that ‘one too many is never enough’ they seem determined to push the boundaries of what is acceptable parliamentary language.

Proceedings this week began with an evidently grumpy Speaker castigating Iris Robinson’s replacement, Jonathan Bell, who, like his predecessor, also managed to get ejected from the Chamber for testing Mr. Hay’s patience. 

Mind you, the Speaker’s ding dong wasn’t conferred to just the clanging Mr. Bell – Mervyn Strorey (DUP, North Antrim), Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley), David McNarry (UUP, Strangford) and Danny Kinahan (UUP, South Antrim) also got mentioned in dispatches.

At this rate the likeable DUP Speaker isn’t going to have any Unionist colleagues left to speak to in the Assembly’s café.