The Education Minister has said there are always toilets available in schools, despite opposing arguments from fellow MHKs.

Douglas North MHK David Ashford claimed in this week’s sitting of the House of Keys that a high school (Ballakermeen) had locked five out of its six toilet blocks during break time. He circulated a photo to members before the sitting showing students queueing within a toilet block.

Julie Edge argued however that there are always toilets available in schools.

Mr Ashford asked Ms Edge in the sitting if she was ‘really saying that toilet blocks are not being locked, that the high schools on our island have adequate student facilities in use at all times and that basically every parent who has raised a concern and all of those pupils who are living the experience day to day are completely and utterly incorrect’.

In response, she said: ‘No schools lock all toilet facilities on site at one time, but schools do have to manage the toilet blocks due to vandalism etc around the schools.

‘However, they make sure the students are aware which toilet blocks are accessible and vandalism could take place now and a school toilet could get locked.’

Mr Ashford told the Courier: ‘I was a bit disappointed in the answers.

‘At first the answer seemed to be there is no issue when I (and from the questions it became clear other members as well) have received numerous complaints from parents of children unable to access adequate facilities as and when required.

‘Then it was positioned that the reason toilets were locked was due to them being vandalised, and of course we can all accept that if a toilet is vandalised it has to be taken out of use until repaired, yet when I asked the minister directly to confirm in the House that no functioning toilets were being locked she could not and would not do so.’

He said that what disappointed him most was there was ‘clearly an issue’ with vaping and vandalism in toilet facilities but rather than say the department will investigate and work with schools to address them, ‘we ended up with defensive answers and trying to deny there is an issue’.

Mr Ashford added: ‘At one point the answers seemed to be implying parents are all wrong, elected members are wrong and pupils who are living the experience day in day out are all wrong and there is no issue. Everyone is wrong and the department knows better than those impacted.

‘Our children and pupils deserve to be able to have dignity in our schools environment and not be distressed and embarrassed by the fact they can’t access adequate facilities when required due to toilets being locked or those remaining facilities that are operational being overwhelmed due to the number of pupils trying to use them or they are having to search for facilities that aren’t locked.’