The Ulster Unionists have failed in their bid to force the education minister to retain academic selection in Northern Ireland.

The party took the lead in a half-day debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday on the future of academic selection.

Ulster Unionist politicians were outraged when former Education Minister Martin McGuinness announced the final 11-plus transfer test would be in November 2004.

Unless this is handled very carefully indeed, there is a real danger of doing irreparable harm Roy Beggs UUP

His direct rule successor, Jane Kennedy, said she would also aim to abolish the test, but added that she could not promise to stick to that deadline.

Ulster Unionist education spokesman Roy Beggs described his "utter amazement" when ministers in Westminster immediately indicated they would carry out the policy of Mr McGuinness.

"Unless this is handled very carefully indeed, there is a real danger of doing irreparable harm to our whole education system and of undermining the very good standards presently achieved by Northern Ireland pupils," he said.

Mr Beggs asked Northern Ireland Office minister Jane Kennedy if it would not serve the education needs of schoolchildren if the current system was retained until a final replacement system was found.

Ms Kennedy said no decisions had been made on either the future of the 11 plus or academic selection but she said she understood parents wanted to know what was to happen.

She assured MPs she would make some decisions within a very few weeks.

Integrated education

Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland spokesman Lembit Opik criticised the Ulster Unionists for failing to acknowledge the importance of integrated schooling in its commons motion.

"Integrated education is one of the most significant social developments in Northern Ireland in the last 20 years," he told MPs.

Integrated education is one of the most significant social developments in Northern Ireland Lembit Opik Liberal Democrats

Winding up the debate, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble warned that if a comprehensive education model was adopted, it would drive schools out of the state system.

"They will go private. They will go private in ways which will reinforce the sectarian divisions and make them worse."

The Ulster Unionist motion was defeated and a government sponsored amendment, signed by Tony Blair and removing all references to selection, was approved without a vote. The 11-plus exam is a selection test for children in primary seven and determines to which type of school they will transfer.

The Burns review of Northern Ireland's education system, set up by Mr McGuinness, recommended an end to the test.

Grammar schools are against the Burns proposal and have argued for the retention of some sort of academic selection.

They want the right to choose pupils of the highest ability, while others feel the plans are not radical enough.