Call for Europe-wide clampdown on child abusers by McGuinness

A Europe-wide network should be set up to block child abusers securing teaching jobs in Northern Ireland schools, the North's Education Minister Martin McGuinness declared today.

Mr McGuinness demanded close links with other countries as part of a check-list to ensure unsuitable candidates do not get into classrooms.

He told MLAs: ‘‘What we are trying to do is put in place a mechanism which will allow us to track people all over the island and also to recognise the importance of contact with England, Scotland and Wales.

‘‘I would suggest further afield also given some of the recent cases that we have heard about in the European mainland.’’

Mr McGuinness was reporting to the Assembly on the North-South Ministerial Council meeting on education.

Along with his Dublin counterpart Michael Woods, the Stormont Education chief had agreed to establish a confidential cross-border register of teachers deemed unsuitable to work with children.

‘‘We recognise that this is a complex issue and agreed that it was essential for all jurisdictions to work in collaboration to achieve an effective solution,’’ Mr McGuinness said.

However, he insisted it was crucial that the issue was handled sensitively.

‘‘This is a complex and highly sensitive issue, that it is an issue of people’s rights,’’ he added.

‘‘But it’s vitally important that their employing authorities who are currently required to carry out a criminal record check on all cases before an offer of employment is made.

‘‘The department also carries out a checklist on all cases where a teacher is to be included for the first time on the payroll.’’