‘Potential conflict of interest' after education chief is asked if ‘happy' with FoI response related to himself
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The Independent
16-06-2025
- The Independent
Absence rates spike at schools closest to Ballymena disorder
Absence rates at schools closest to the epicentre of the disorder in Ballymena have spiked amid the violence, the Stormont Education Minister has said. Paul Givan said 84 newcomer children at Harryville Primary School have not been attending, while attendance is at around 65% at St Patrick's College. Violent scenes broke out in Ballymena last Monday after an alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl at the weekend. Following a peaceful protest, there were attacks on the homes of some residents – as well as rioting. Mr Givan was speaking during questions for his department in the Assembly on Monday, in response to being asked by Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole what is being done for children caught up in the disorder. Mr Givan said is it 'outrageous' that over the last week children have been coming into school traumatised as a result of what has been happening. 'Alarmingly, we're also dealing with some children who engaged in the rioting and attacked some of the houses of the very children in their class,' he said. 'So this is an appalling situation, one which is complicated and requires intervention. 'My team have been engaged with a number of schools as a result of the picture that we have had to deal with. We have engaged the emotional wellbeing unit within the Education Authority, the intercultural services and try and provide support for these schools.' He said Harryville Primary School and St Patrick's Primary School in Ballymena had seen absence at half of the school. 'That is a clear problem, but it's also complicated by the fact that we are dealing with children in both schools that were engaged in this trouble and children in both schools that were the victims of that trouble, and it's one that does require concerted effort, and to assure the member I and my team are very much engaged in trying to provide that support,' he said. He added: 'I've been hugely impressed as I go around schools where I see the many different newcomers within controlled schools, Catholic maintained schools, integrated schools, and the work that goes on by the school leaders and the teachers to ensure that there is an inclusive environment where diversity is respected and indeed celebrated. 'Our schools have often been the safe haven within their communities where outside of the school walls, there have been challenges. 'What has happened in a number of these schools I find particularly alarming, and that is why there needs to be support and my team at senior levels have been engaging in respect all of this. 'I take a very simple view – there is a time and a place to debate immigration policy, but whenever you are in Northern Ireland, and particularly whenever you are a child in Northern Ireland from whatever background, you have to be treated with respect, you have to be supported, and you need to be protected, and that has not been the case over the past week, and that is wrong, and I absolutely condemn what has happened in respect of these particular issues. 'I will do all that I can to support those within our school environments that need that support.' Mr Givan went on to say that his own family supported a family from Ukraine, with three children staying with his parents in Co Armagh. 'They went to schools that went out of their way to make them feel welcome, and they regard Northern Ireland as their home and they will be here for many years to come, and they should be welcome here in Northern Ireland,' he added.
The Herald Scotland
16-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Absence rates spike at schools closest to Ballymena disorder
Violent scenes broke out in Ballymena last Monday after an alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl at the weekend. Following a peaceful protest, there were attacks on the homes of some residents – as well as rioting. Mr Givan was speaking during questions for his department in the Assembly on Monday, in response to being asked by Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole what is being done for children caught up in the disorder. Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Givan said is it 'outrageous' that over the last week children have been coming into school traumatised as a result of what has been happening. 'Alarmingly, we're also dealing with some children who engaged in the rioting and attacked some of the houses of the very children in their class,' he said. 'So this is an appalling situation, one which is complicated and requires intervention. 'My team have been engaged with a number of schools as a result of the picture that we have had to deal with. We have engaged the emotional wellbeing unit within the Education Authority, the intercultural services and try and provide support for these schools.' He said Harryville Primary School and St Patrick's Primary School in Ballymena had seen absence at half of the school. 'That is a clear problem, but it's also complicated by the fact that we are dealing with children in both schools that were engaged in this trouble and children in both schools that were the victims of that trouble, and it's one that does require concerted effort, and to assure the member I and my team are very much engaged in trying to provide that support,' he said. He added: 'I've been hugely impressed as I go around schools where I see the many different newcomers within controlled schools, Catholic maintained schools, integrated schools, and the work that goes on by the school leaders and the teachers to ensure that there is an inclusive environment where diversity is respected and indeed celebrated. 'Our schools have often been the safe haven within their communities where outside of the school walls, there have been challenges. 'What has happened in a number of these schools I find particularly alarming, and that is why there needs to be support and my team at senior levels have been engaging in respect all of this. Education Minister Paul Givan (Liam McBurney/PA) 'I take a very simple view – there is a time and a place to debate immigration policy, but whenever you are in Northern Ireland, and particularly whenever you are a child in Northern Ireland from whatever background, you have to be treated with respect, you have to be supported, and you need to be protected, and that has not been the case over the past week, and that is wrong, and I absolutely condemn what has happened in respect of these particular issues. 'I will do all that I can to support those within our school environments that need that support.' Mr Givan went on to say that his own family supported a family from Ukraine, with three children staying with his parents in Co Armagh. 'They went to schools that went out of their way to make them feel welcome, and they regard Northern Ireland as their home and they will be here for many years to come, and they should be welcome here in Northern Ireland,' he added.
Scotsman
08-06-2025
- Scotsman
SNP ministers accused of secrecy over £2m Grangemouth carbon capture study
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have been accused of secrecy after refusing to publish a £2 million study into whether a pipeline that will connect Grangemouth with a key carbon capture project will fall flat. The 'alarming' move comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is poised to confirm at her spending review this week whether the Acorn carbon capture project for St Fergus, near Peterhead, will finally receive the funding it needs to get off the ground. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Carbon capture technology is seen as being essential to Scotland and the UK reaching net zero | POOL/AFP via Getty Images The previous Conservative UK government only granted the Acorn project reserve status and ploughed funding into carbon capture and storage projects south of the Border instead. This comes as finance secretary Shona Robison asked Chancellor Rachel Reeves to award funding for the Acorn carbon capture project and to ensure Scotland receives a share of GB Energy funding that matches its contribution to UK clean energy goals, ahead of the UK spending review. She also called on the Chancellor to 'prioritise growth' and to fully fund the employer national insurance increase for Scotland's public services. Ms Robison urged the UK Government to abandon some of its 'damaging policies' such as cuts to welfare support for disabled people, to scrap the two-child benefit cap and to reinstate a universal winter fuel payment, ahead of the review on 11 June. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said the Scottish Government had not yet been provided with 'clarity' on spending priorities. The delays to the project has been partly blamed for SNP ministers rolling back climate targets, with the Acorn plans initially hoped to be up and running before 2030. But now, the Scottish Government has refused to release the results of a feasibility study into the pipeline, despite confirming the document was completed in March. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad SNP ministers handed over £2m to National Gas last year to assess whether it was possible to turn an old 174-mile gas pipeline that runs from Grangemouth in the Central Belt to St Fergus, Aberdeenshire into 'Europe's largest carbon capture pipeline'. Officials have refused to release details of what the study shows, despite campaigners requesting it under Freedom of Information law. Acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin during a visit to drone manufacturer Flowcopter in Loanhead, to mark the publication of the Scottish Government's Green Industrial Strategy | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire Concerns have been raised about carbon capture technology, which campaigners warn simply allows oil and gas companies to continue burning fossil fuels. Under the technology, harmful carbon emissions are prevented from being released into the atmosphere and instead trapped and injected into the seabed. Fears have been raised about leakage, with the technology not yet tested at commercial scale. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During a trip to St Fergus in 2023, then prime minister Rishi Sunak also raised concerns about the technology, warning that it would be a boost 'if we can get it to work'. Now, campaigners have warned that any further public funds for the Acorn project would benefit major oil companies, including Shell, which have made £90 billion profits in recent years and Harbour Energy who recently laid off 250 staff despite paying out almost £1bn to shareholders in the past three years. The UK government has already pledged £22bn to the carbon capture industry, a move which the Public Accounts Committee branded a 'high risk gamble' that could push up household energy bills. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First Minister John Swinney has vowed to increase the public handout from the Scottish Government for the Acorn project beyond £80m. But that is contingent on the UK government first backing the project - amid doubts the funding could be axed in the spending review amid a perilous economic backdrop. Friends of the Earth Scotland's climate campaigner Alex Lee said: 'The public are again being forced to pay for the oil industry's greenwashing carbon capture plans, and it is deeply alarming that we don't even get to see what our money has unearthed. 'Plans to run a 280km high pressure carbon pipeline through towns and villages are fraught with danger and uncertainty because this has never been done before in Scotland. Have the people who live along the route of this pipeline proposal been informed of the risks and consulted on these proposals? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is a farce that ministers have been talking up carbon capture for 20 years and only now are they checking whether it would even be feasible to do this. 'When working climate solutions are crying out for funding, there should be no public investment in dodgy scams like carbon capture.' Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband during a meeting of the National Wealth Fund Taskforce in 11 Downing Street. PIC: Justin Tallis/PA Wire Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: 'The Greens have always been sceptical about putting too much reliance on untested carbon capture technology, and we are firmly opposed to using it as an excuse for more fossil fuel extraction or burning. 'Even its advocates don't think it will make any impact on our emissions in the near future, so the priority has to be the action we know how to take right now - cutting road and air traffic levels, insulating homes and shifting to clean heating, and supporting communities to change land use. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Climate action isn't rocket science and we don't need to wait for new technologies to get off the drawing board - we just need to do what we know works.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government provided National Gas with a £2m grant to support a study to explore the technical feasibility and viability of repurposing an existing gas pipeline for the transportation of carbon dioxide. 'The conclusions of the study were requested under environmental information regulations. However, for reasons of commercial confidentiality these can't be released. 'The Scottish Government fully supports the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and we have been advised by the Climate Change Committee that they 'cannot see a route to net zero that does not include CCS'.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A UK government spokesperson said: 'We are delivering first of a kind carbon capture projects in the UK, supporting thousands of jobs across the country, reigniting industrial heartlands and tackling the climate crisis.
