Clause 47 - Further provisions about functions
Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill
10:00 am
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight, Conservative)
Prima facie, the amendment would not only provide belt and braces, but would ensure that the trousers cannot fall down. It is excessive and would require a level of inspection that is too detailed. To take an example from this side of the water, inspection of a single school of moderate size probably requires the chief inspector of schools to appoint a team of 10 to 12 inspectors, who spend four, five or more days in the school after substantial preparation by all the staff of the school, hold a lengthy debriefing, followed by a report, which has to be discussed with the school governors. The chief
inspector is moving away from a quadrennial inspection of schools because the burden of inspection on each school is too great. He is moving to a system of more inspections for those schools that need them most and fewer for those that need them least.
The hon. Gentleman proposes a system of inspection for each of the categories, except those inspected elsewhere—the Minister might indicate which those are. That will incur an immense cost, and cause immense disruption to the professional services specified in clause 46 (1)(a) to (j). The level of inspection is too demanding. Inspection is important, but it is not in the interest of those running the service, or their customers, to have that level of disruption imposed on them in their everyday work.