The SDLP's Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter has said that there are serious questions to answer after DUP Councillor and former MLA Mervyn Storey was appointed as chairperson of the Education Authority by Education Minister Paul Givan.
The four year post comes with an annual remuneration of between £50,000 to £60,000 plus travel and subsistence allowances.
This latest post comes after deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly 's husband, Richard Pengelly, was appointed as CEO of the Education Authority on an interim basis by the Education Minister earlier this year.
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Announcing Mr Storey's appointment earlier today, the Department of Education said that it's appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
Mervyn Storey has been a Causeway Coast and Glens Councillor for the Ballymoney District Electoral Area since 2022 and was an MLA from 2003 to 2022. He is a member of the Education Authority Board, for which he receives £8,800 and will step down from upon taking up the role of Chairperson in the New Year. He is also Chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Fund for which he receives £6,000.
East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said: “There are serious questions for the Education Minister to answer following the appointment of Merven Storey as Chairperson of the Education Authority. The appointment of Mr Storey, a DUP colleague of Paul Givan, follows on from the appointment of Richard Pengelly as Chief Executive of EA.
“The EA has faced significant challenges in recent years and I appreciate the efforts of the Minister and staff to get this organisation in order, but we cannot ignore the issues raised by these successive appointments.
“The Minister must ensure that every appointment process is completely transparent and that the best candidate prevails. Whether there is any substance to it or not, there is no doubt that this appointment will have people asking about ‘jobs for the boys’ and cause further damage to the public perception about the approach to senior appointments within our public sector.”
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