Industry News
NI school boards pay out £1m in compensation
Posted on 5th July 2007
Northern Ireland's education minister Catriona Ruane has told the region's assembly that £500,000 was paid out by local school boards for injuries to pupils and teachers last year.
The minister said that in 2006-07, the country's school boards paid out £92,000 in compensation to teachers and £303,000 to pupils, the Newsletter reports.
The news provider estimated that if the amount of compensation paid out to non-teaching school staff was included, the total figure would approach the £1 million mark.
Commenting on the situation, DUP MP Sammy Wilson described the figure as "an enormous amount".
Earlier in the month, Evening News 24 reported that £50,000 had been paid out in claims made by teachers in Norfolk over the last few years.
John Baldwin, risk and insurance manager at the county council, said that the number of claims was similar to that of any other county in England and that the area's schools were successfully managing potential risks.