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Maginness congratulates Whitehouse Primary School on successful campaign

SDLP North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness has congratulated the parents, staff and pupils of Whitehouse Primary School for their successful campaign to secure funding for the rebuilding of their arson-hit school.

Fri 14th May

Mr Maginness said: “The Whitehouse community was badly let down by Education Minster Caitriona Ruane.  It is deplorable that these pupils have had to tolerate inadequate facilities for almost an entire year. But what was much worse was that after promising an early re-build when the TV cameras were at the burned-out shell of the school, the minister then reneged.
 
“I want to congratulate the parents, staff and pupils on their tenacious campaign to force the Minster’s change of mind. It really cannot be that any important building destroyed by fire should then go to the back of the building queue. The Minister has been less than frank about the state of her new-build campaign and parents and teachers across the north are having difficulty finding out whether their schools are to  built or not. But budgetary pressures are one thing, penalising a community hit by an arson attack is another.
 
““There are many who suspect that the plight of Whitehouse was used by the Education Minister as a budgetary pressure point against the Finance Minster Sammy Wilson.  The needs of these children shouldn’t be jeopardised by political game-playing around the Executive table.
 
“As a political representative I will continue to back all those associated with Whitehouse Primary School.  I wish them well for the future.”

Alban Maginness

Alban Maginness MLA, Assembly

Email a.maginness@sdlp.ie
Tel 028 9022 0520

Press Office

Tel 028 90 52 1837

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