Other News In Brief

New Supported Housing Living Scheme Opens In Bangor

A new £3.7 million supported housing living scheme developed by Ark Housing has officially opened in Bangor, Co Down.

The scheme is designed to meet the latest dementia best practice standards and guidelines and was part-funded by the Department for Communities (DfC) through a Housing Association Grant.

Ark chief executive Jim McShane said: "Dementia has been identified as the leading cause of death in the UK and is on the increase in Northern Ireland. The number of people living with it here is set to rise to around 25,000 by 2021."

The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT), who played a lead role in the overall design and delivery of the project, is contracted by Ark Housing and funded through the Supporting People Programme to provide 24-hour care and support to residents.

Major Funding Crisis Developing Across NI's Education System - UUP

Ulster Unionist MLA Rosemary Barton has revealed the Education Authority exceeded its allocated budget by approximately £20m in the last financial year.

Rosemary Barton, the UUP’s Education Spokesperson, said: "There is a major funding crisis developing across Northern Ireland's education system and this is resulting in record numbers of schools not being able to stay within their allocated budgets.

"I have now been reliably informed that over the last year 22 additional primary schools moved into a deficit position compared to the year before and that, combined with dozens of other schools already in a similar position, has resulted in the Education Authority overspending by approximately £20m in 2017/18.

"The fact that the Department of Education’s annual budget from 1st April 2018 is £5m smaller than the one it ended last month with means that soon even more schools already struggling to balance the books will simply move into a debt position.

"Indeed this was confirmed at a recent meeting which I hosted between local school leaders and the Permanent Secretary of the Education Department Derek Baker, during which he said it was 'inevitable' that the number of schools reporting deficits would grow.

"This is a very serious situation as schools are being forced into spending money which they haven’t got. This has resulted in the Education Authority reporting a major overspend for the second year in a row."

Sinn Fein Supports Teachers Demands Of Pay Equality

Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Kathleen Funchion TD has said she fully supports the demands of the teachers' unions for pay equality and restoration.

Deputy Funchion said that ultimately it is this generation of children that will pay the biggest price, regarding the inequity that exists in teachers’ pay.

She said: "We are losing talented, highly educated and motivated young teachers to other countries. It is nearly impossible for young teachers to live on the wages that they receive here, particularly with the constant rise in the cost of housing.

"This has led to a shortage of qualified teachers here for our children. There is a struggle to get substitute teachers here also and ultimately our children will suffer as a result of this, particularly students in exam years.

"The Minister can no longer put his head in the sand on this issue. We need to see pay restoration along with the restoration of the PME allowance for young newly qualified teachers."

(CD/MH)