Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt, is calling on the Education minister to respond to his call for the introduction of a Book Buddies Scheme to help improve children's reading skills.
While welcoming news of the initiative to encourage families to read to their children, the Strangford MLA said he had previously suggested an additional way to tackle literacy problems.
"I spoke of Book Buddies in the Assembly last year, and at John O'Dowd's request forwarded details of the scheme, which currently runs in Oklahoma.
"It involves young people mixing with older people, where, under controlled circumstances, the older people read to the young ones. The two measurable outcomes are that literacy levels among the young people shoot up, while medication intake by the older people drops, as they find a new sense of purpose. The project also saw the engagement broaden into oral storytelling, with the older people describing the history of the area, so the children developed a deeper understanding of their neighbourhood.
"Executive Ministers constantly encourage MLAs to bring forward their ideas. John O'Dowd has been sitting on this one for months. A response would be welcome."