Covid Inquiry: Peter Weir 'regrets' school closure decision caused division
Former education minister Lord Peter Weir says he regrets the debate over closing schools in Northern Ireland at the onset of the Covid pandemic created division.
Lord Weir appeared before the UK Covid-19 public inquiry sitting in Belfast on Wednesday.
He was Stormont's education minister from January 2020 until mid-2021.
The inquiry was shown handwritten notes from a meeting held on 16 March 2020 which showed divisions behind the scenes between the parties.
He was asked by the inquiry Counsel, Clair Dobbin KC, how well children were being served when it came to the decision over closing schools, asking whether it had become "political and divisive".
He replied: "I regret it became that; I felt there had been a level of consensus a few days before."
