Press Releases06 Mar 08

Protestant Church Leaders protest against exclusion from Area Based Planning Groups

Comment by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church and the President of the Methodist Church on the Education Minister’s announcement on Area Based Plans Groups

The Archbishop of Armagh, Most Revd Alan Harper, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Rt Revd Dr John Finlay, and the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Roy Cooper express their deep disquiet at the exclusion of their three churches by the Minister of Education from membership of the Area Based Planning Groups by the deliberate omission of Transferor representatives from these bodies. They note the minimal nature of the assurance from the Department of Education that it will look at how the Protestant churches can be a part of the planning process and they suggest that the interests of the Transferors should be represented as of right.  The Archbishop, the Moderator and the President point out that the Protestant Churches are a significant stakeholder in Education in NI but that it appears that they are being excluded from influential decision forming bodies in the field of education. On grounds of equality and for the enhancement of community confidence they seek specific assurance that their concerns will be fully addressed.