Sammy Wilson MP MLA

“Time for consistent funding for Bookstart, says Wilson ”

East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson has written to the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Minister for Education calling for consistent funding for the bookstart programme.

Mr Wilson said: “I have visited some of the libraries in my constituency and have seen the excellent work which is being done through the bookstart programme. Given the significance that is now attached to early years learning in dealing with numeracy and literacy problems in Northern Ireland, I believe that Bookstart gives children and their parents an excellent opportunity to ensure they have a good start in educational life.

One of the problems that has been highlighted to me is the nature of the way in which Bookstart is funded. Much of the funding tends to come from In Year monitoring monies and this leaves those who run Bookstart with uncertainty each year, sometimes until the very last quarter of the year, and it is only then they find out how much funding is available. From the Department of Education, over the course of the last four years, funding has varied from £25,000 to £265,000. This kind of erratic funding makes long-term planning very difficult.

Both the Department of Education and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure have responsibility for this programme, and so I urge the Ministers to give consideration to much more consistent core funding for the project so to ensure its survival and eradicate financial uncertainty.”

ENDS

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