The North's Minister of Education, Mr Martin McGuinness, made his first appearance at the ministerial dispatch box yesterday during a three-hour adjournment debate on the provision of pre-school nursery education.
Mr McGuinness recently announced a £38 million expansion plan for the pre-school sector with the creation of 9,000 extra places. The Sinn Fein member said he hoped universal pre-school education would soon become a reality and described his department's educational development plan as one of the most significant in years.
Many members stressed that pre-school provisions in the North were among the worst in Europe.
Mr Edwin Poots, the DUP Assembly member for Lagan Valley, who tabled the issue for debate, said pre-school education was now a "mammoth" issue due to the number of women returning to work.
"In the United Kingdom we currently have the ninth-lowest number of children in playgroups in the entire European Union, and in Northern Ireland last year we had half the number of nursery places available to what was available in England," he said.
BO]Ms Joan Carson (UUP, Fermanagh and South Tyrone) stressed that of the Minister's allocation of 9,000 new places, over 4,000 were already filled because the expansion plan had originally commenced in September 1998 during direct rule.
Mr Sammy Wilson, (DUP, East Belfast) said Mr McGuinness had given the impression that his initiative was "brand-new money" and accused the Sinn Fein member of "adopting the characteristics of New Labour". Mr McGuinness later said he believed it had been made quite clear it was a re-announcement of a previous allocation.
Ms Patricia Lewsley (SDLP, Lagan Valley) stressed that voluntary providers of pre-school places feared they could be displaced by the capital investment in the statutory sector with the creation of a "two-tier system".
A Sinn Fein member for West Belfast, Ms Sue Ramsey, said she gave a "guarded welcome" to the Minister's announcement, which has guaranteed places for up to 85 per cent of children. She said all children should have the opportunity of free nursery education and described it as a "valuable stepping stone into the formal education system".
Ms Eileen Bell (Alliance, North Down) said Northern Ireland had for too long been bottom of the league with regard to pre-school care. However, she warned that if the system was expanded the problem of a shortage of staff must be addressed.
Mr Paddy Roche (Northern Ireland Unionist Party, Lagan Valley) criticised Mr McGuinness for "openly talking about his days on the run".