Minister in a Muddle over Immigration in Northern IrelandRobin Newton said,
“Minister Empey in a statement to the Assembly directly following his attendance at the British-Irish Council Demography Sector meeting, when questioned, confirmed he had no idea how many non-nationals are living in Northern Ireland. In confirming the figures for legal entry were unknown the Minster further indicated that there is huge anxiety about the issue of the numbers who enter Northern Ireland illegally. I was knocked for six when he informed the Assembly his Department is spending £1.5 million on courses, such as teaching English as a second language, up from just £300,000 3 years ago. It begged the question of how the Minister budgeted for these courses. I assumed, since the Department had no idea of the level of demand that there is just an unlimited pot of money set aside. Therefore I am not surprised that the Minister has now reported that he is unable to plan for these courses, he sets the budget in the dark, and Further Education Colleges just rely on people turning up to enrol. The FE Colleges are then paid in arrears for classes they provide. The Minister’s answers clearly indicate DEL is budgeting in ignorance and allocating finance that could be apportioned to other areas where it is vitally needed. There are many other areas within his Department which could benefit from such resources. The Minister needs to get to grips with this issue and ensure that his future budget requests for this area are not transacted in such an unprofessional manner.”Minister in a Muddle over Immigration in Northern Ireland
East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton, a member of the Employment and Learning Committee, has charged DEL Minister Reg Empey of being in a mess regarding educational courses for immigrants.
