Griffin says more integrated education would mean more cash for vital services

11.20.00am GMT Fri 25th Jan 2008

Alliance Dromore by-election candidate David Griffin has stated that Alliance is the only party that will combat segregation and by doing so will free up cash to improve vital services. He said that having more integrated schools instead of segregated ones will save a massive amount of public money in the long-term

David Griffin said: "We have ambition for Northern Ireland. We want to re-balance the economy to create more and better jobs, and we want to improve public services. In order to deliver these changes we need to tackle segregation to free up cash in the budget.

"The government's own report conducted by Deloitte stated that around £1.5 billion is wasted every year on keeping Northern Ireland a divided society. That represents a very large proportion of our local budget, and wasting this cash hurts vital public services.

"If we had more integrated schools and shared services instead of different schools and facilities for different sides of the community, we could free up this massive amount of cash. Unfortunately, this Executive is running scared from tackling segregation.

"By giving every parent the opportunity to send their children to an integrated school, we can in the long-term stop cash being wasted on keeping our society divided. As well as the financial benefits of breaking down the Berlin Wall of segregation in Northern Ireland, ending division will improve community relations.

"Education is in a state of flux at the moment, with the 11 plus being scrapped. With Caítriona Ruane looking at the transfer issue, she should also look to make efficiencies by ending segregation in education at the same time."

"A vote for Alliance is a vote against the stale thinking in the Executive. Alliance is all about providing commonsense solutions to problems that others fail to tackle. This election is not about who is the toughest unionist, it's about which candidate is best for Dromore."

ENDS