Danny Kinahan, Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson for education, has commented on the financial uplift for schools, pre-schools and youth work services contained in the revised Education Budget. He has described the previous deep cuts proposed in the draft budget as an example of political brinksmanship.

 Mr Kinahan said:

 “The draft budget has now been revised, with more money being given to Education.  An additional £64.6M has been allocated and the Minister has announced that he is re profiling his budget so that an additional £80M over and above that detailed in the draft Education budget, will be allocated to schools.

 “Clearly this is an improvement.  However this whole episode should have been avoided.  As we said in our budget response, “We are concerned that the Department and Minister are playing a political game of brinksmanship in frontloading cuts on schools as a ploy to obtain further funding from the Executive.”

 “In the mouth of the Christmas holidays Principals were given the bombshell that the budgets to run their schools were to be slashed, and cutbacks would have to be made before the end of the academic year.  Now it appears, everything is fine and additional money for the Aggregated Schools Budget has suddenly been found.  The threats to the pre-school budget and youth services have also been lifted.

 “I am sure that the teaching fraternity are feeling bemused and exasperated, wondering what sort of government is being run at Stormont.  At the very least, all schools, pre-schools and youth workers in Northern Ireland deserve an apology from the Department of Education and the Minister for the stress they have been put through for the past six weeks.”