Questions raised after DUP politician named as EA chair

Mervyn Storey is a current DUP councillor and former MLA and minister

A Sinn Féin assembly member has questioned Education Minister Paul Givan's appointment of a party colleague to a senior role, adding that he must show a "clear commitment to transparency".

Paul Givan announced fellow Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician Mervyn Storey as the new chair of the board of the Education Authority (EA) on Thursday.

Storey, a former Stormont minister who sits on the EA's board, has a "sound understanding of the education landscape", Givan said.

However, Sinn Féin's Pat Sheehan said Storey's "previous role as a DUP minister, MLA, and current DUP councillor raises obvious questions for the minister about the appointment".

"I will be raising these important questions and concerns at the education committee," he added.

A spokesperson for the Education Department said Storey's appointment was made "following an open, transparent and merit-based competition conducted in accordance with the code of practice issued by the commissioner for public appointments for Northern Ireland."

It is three years since Northern Ireland has had an independent public appointments commissioner in post.

The role of EA chair comes with an annual salary in the range of £50,000-£60,000 plus travel and subsistence allowances.

Paul Givan said that Mervyn Storey will bring a "wealth of experience"

Storey has served as a member of the board of the Education Authority since May 2022.

He was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003, representing the constituency of North Antrim as a member of the DUP, and served until he lost his seat in 2022.

In that time he was twice chair of Stormont's education committee, and also held the roles of social development minister and finance minister.

After losing his seat, he was co-opted by the DUP to a seat on Causeway Coast and Glens Council.

Givan said that he will bring "a wealth of expertise and experience to this role at a critical moment as we seek to transform our education system for the next generation".

Creationism concerns

The Northern Ireland Humanists have also raised objections to Storey's appointment, describing him as a "creationist-teaching advocate".

Storey has previously said that creationism should be taught in Northern Ireland's schools, and called for the views of creationists to be included in an Ulster Museum exhibition on the origin of the universe.

In 2008, he told the Irish Times that only teaching evolution in schools is "an insidious indoctrination occurring in our education system".

Boyd Sleator, Northern Ireland Humanists coordinator, said Storey's "track record of pushing for creationism in schools raises serious concerns about his ability to lead an education system that should teach children facts, not pseudoscience".

He added that he would be writing to the education minister to "seek reassurance that creationism will not be taught in schools as scientifically valid".

The Northern Ireland Teachers' Council, which represents the main teaching unions, said it was concerned by the appointment.

"We in the NITC are committed to working to ensure that all appointments in the education system are fair and equitable, especially in light of legislative change," a spokesperson said.

"We are requesting an assurance that those in high office are equally committed to these same high standards."

SDLP assembly member Cara Hunter

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) education spokesperson Cara Hunter said Storey's appointment will "have people asking about 'jobs for the boys'".

She added it cause "further damage to the public perception about the approach to senior appointments within our public sector" and that the education minister has "serious questions to answer".

Hunter said Storey's appointment came after Richard Pengelly, the husband of Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, was named as the Education Authority's chief executive.

"We cannot ignore the issues raised by these successive appointments," she said.

The appointment of an interim chief executive - a post subsequently filled by Mr Pengelly - was opposed by some members of the board of the Education Authority.