The two Grammar schools in Lisburn City , Friends and Wallace, educate 2152 secondary school pupils. Of these, 47, or two percent, are entitled to free school meals.

The four secondary schools, Laurelhill, Fort Hill, Lisnagarvey and St Patrick’s , educate 2640 children.Of these , 528 or twenty two percent, take free school meals.

The figures [ from DENI], speak for themselves.

Friends and Wallace are entitled to charitable status and the benefits which that brings.

The Charity Commission is now in full operation in Northern Ireland.

It is clear from these figures that a section of the public, children from poor homes, is largely excluded from a grammar school education.

Friends and Wallace might point out, in response that all children are afforded an equal chance by sitting the AQE test. This of course is nonsense as the test does not measure academic ability. In addition, well off parents pay for their children to be coached.

When might we expect the Charity Commission, which is “committed to equality and diversity in all that we do” to investigate this dreadful state of affairs, which is replicated throughout Northern Ireland?