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To: Doug Beattie, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
Doug Beattie: Don't block progress on Integrated Education
The Integrated Education Bill is through to the final stage in the Assembly. The Bill would mean the Northern Ireland Executive has to do more to support integrated education - Catholics and Protestants being schooled togther.
But despite being supported by a majority of MLAs, the Bill could be blocked at the final stage due to an Assembly mechanism known as the ‘Petition of Concern,’ which was originally designed to prevent discrimination of one community over another.
The DUP have proposed a Petition of Concern to block the Integrated Education Bill, but with less than the 30 MLAs required to trigger the mechanism, the DUP need the UUP to join them.
Why is this important?
Doug Beattie, the UUP Leader, said in January that "Northern Ireland has been blighted by division.. and yet we don't take the brave steps to try and deal with that division...we need to end educational apartheid which is taking place here in Northern Ireland."
But his party is opposed to the Bill and may join the DUP in using this undemocratic Assembly mechanism to block the Bill.
Doug and his party need to rule out using a Petition of Concern to block the Bill.