Row over DUP bid to veto Irish education bill

First Minister Michelle O'Neill has accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of "blatant disrespect" and "sectarianism" for blocking proposed Stormont legislation on Irish-medium education.The Sinn Féin vice-president was responding after the DUP tabled a petition of concern to veto her party colleague Pat Sheehan's bill on workforce planning for schools in the sector. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the move was the latest outworking of his party's response to Sinn Féin's "arrogance" over the Drumcree parading dispute.O'Neill, who has defended her party's actions over Drumcree, said the DUP was in "complete chaos and turmoil" and was now "punishing children" by blocking the bill.The Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill would require the Department of Education to prepare a workforce plan for Irish-medium schools.It was due to begin its final stage in the Northern Ireland Assembly later on Tuesday.A valid petition of concern against the proposed law was tabled by the DUP after receiving enough support from other unionist parties.It means the private member's bill would now require cross-community support from both unionists and nationalists to pass.The fall-out comes after unionist anger over Sinn Féin's involvement in protests on Garvaghy Road, which blocked a contentious Orange Order parade from passing along the mainly nationalist street in Portadown, County Armagh.O'Neill and several other senior Sinn Féin figures have been interviewed by police investigating the demonstrations, with unionists accusing the party of acting unlawfully. Last month the DUP, which shares power with Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland's devolved government, announced it would block official engagements involving O'Neill in response to the fall-out. Speaking on Tuesday, O'Neill said the DUP was distracting from its own internal "chaos and turmoil" over the Drumcree dispute.The Sinn Féin deputy leader argued the DUP "completely called it wrong" over Drumcree and were "now punishing children" by vetoing the bill."The DUP are continuing with their form to be anti-Irish in everything they do," she told reporters at Stormont."This is just sectarianism. This is just blatant disrespect for everything to do with the Irish identity."Alliance Party deputy leader Eóin Tennyson described the use of the petition of concern as "yet another petulant swipe and petty stunt intended to walk these institutions to the brink".The assembly member said it "punishes no one except the children and young people in Irish-medium schools"."This latest abuse once again underlines the need for fundamental reform of these institutions," he told reporters at Stormont.Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows said Sinn Féin's conduct over the Drumcree dispute was "reprehensible" but it was not the reason his party had supported the DUP's petition of concern.He expressed concern that the private member's bill gives "preferential treatment to one sector over others"."It is an unnecessary bill - it duplicates work that is already taking place. "It has administrative and financial costs that we don't need to have," he told the Nolan Show."This is simply a duplicating bill proposed by Pat Sheehan because he wants to have a private member's bill in his pocket before the election."Speaking earlier on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Sheehan said his bill was "absolutely necessary" to help address the "severe challenges that face the Irish-medium sector"."The purpose of this bill is to ensure the Irish-medium sector is brought onto an equal footing with other sectors," he said.