CHIEF constable Jon Boutcher has told a cross-border policing conference that the number of Catholic officers in the PSNI “isn’t good enough”.

Asked by journalists if 50/50 recruitment should resume, he said he wants to use the organisation’s 25th anniversary this year to “have a proper debate about recruitment policy”.

By law, restarting 50/50 is a decision for the secretary of state, Hilary Benn, in consultation with the chief constable and the Policing Board. So Mr Boutcher has put the ball in Mr Benn’s court.

Political parties have seats on the board in proportion to their assembly strength but they hold only 11 of the 20 seats in total and there are no community vetoes, so a majority for 50/50 there could be easily reached.

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Although Mr Benn may still balk at over-riding unionist objections, the true obstacle may now be legal rather than political.

Since the 50/50 legislation was enacted, equality and human rights laws have been more strictly interpreted against positive discrimination, including in police recruitment.

The Windsor Framework adds a further complication to suspending these laws, as 50/50 requires, while the devolution of policing and justice in 2010 makes Benn’s absolute discretion appear outdated.

If the policy was brought back, it is quite likely a court would strike it down.

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AS-levels are to be scrapped in Northern Ireland as part of a wider shake-up of examinations and the curriculum.

DUP education minister Paul Givan says the change is partly to address “practices like using AS results to gate-keep Year 14 entry”.

Some schools remove pupils half-way through sixth form to manipulate their position on the league tables.

It is usually impossible to join another school in year 14, forcing these pupils to either abandon their A-levels or restart them from scratch.

However, this practice is already a serious breach of Department of Education guidelines and repeated ministerial directions. Schools still do it anyway.

There is a parallel with the school........

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