Allister speaks out about nursery places

Mr Allister said: “After receiving a large number of complaints about the failure of parents to obtain nursery places for their children in North Antrim and indeed other places in Northern Ireland I have written to the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education complaining about the issue.

“People who do not receive benefits are particularly aggrieved by the fact that this counts against them when seeking a place at their preferred nursery.

“Frankly the department’s claim that they provide a place for every child is a nonsense because in many instances it is totally impractical for the parent to get their child to the nursery in which they have been offered a place,” he concluded.