Devenish College

Members' Statements – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 12:30 pm on 16 September 2024.

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Photo of Lord Tom Elliott Lord Tom Elliott UUP 12:30, 16 September 2024

Devenish College is a new school that was built quite recently in Enniskillen. It is a fabulous facility for all the pupils in the area. The school's pupil numbers have increased as have the number of those who wish to get into the school. There is an issue around the traffic outside the school, as there is a 50 mph speed limit on the road. There have been unsuccessful attempts to get that reduced to 40 mph.

There are schools in the area and throughout Northern Ireland that have a 20 mph speed limit at certain times, when pupils are going in between 8.30 am and 9.30 am or coming out of the school for an hour in the evening. That would greatly enhance safety in that area for pupils, parents and teachers coming and going from the school at those times. I ask the Department for Infrastructure to look at that in the near future, because it is important that those people feel safe going in and out of that school, particularly the pupils now that there are such significant numbers. Given that the 20 mph speed limit has been introduced at other schools in the area, it would be appropriate for Devenish College, which has well over 600 pupils coming and going daily.