Hugh Henry once opposed Catholic schools. Now, as Labour�s education minister, he is their defender

SCOTLAND's education minister suffered an embarrassment last night after it emerged that he backed the integration of Catholic schools when he was a teacher.

Hugh Henry, the Labour MSP for Paisley South, declared his opposition to religious segregation in the classroom at the same time as he worked in a Catholic school.

He also claimed that his colleagues at Bellarmine secondary school in Glasgow supported abolition but were "scared" to come forward and voice opposition to the status quo.

The revelations from Henry's past come as he tries to defend a 2453 majority from the Nationalists on May 3.

Labour is staunchly in favour of separate schools for Catholics and successive first ministers have defended the current system. But Henry, who was elevated to education minister last November, has had to clear up confusion about his views on faith-based education after his past as an opponent of Catholic schools came to light.

A front-page story from the Glasgow Herald in June 1979 revealed how the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country's largest teaching union, voted for a more "positive policy" in favour of integrating Catholic schools.

It noted that Catholic teachers were incensed by the decision and that it was likely to spark mass resignations from the union.

However, the report noted: "During the debate, several Catholic teachers spoke in favour of the policy shift. They included Mr Hugh Henry, of Bellarmine secondary school, Glasgow.

"He said many teachers in his school were in favour of integration, but were scared to come out publicly and oppose the present set-up."

Archbishop (later cardinal) Tom Winning urged Catholics to fight the decision, which was eventually changed by the EIS.

Henry had been a teacher for around three years at the time of his remarks, but quit soon after in order to become a welfare rights officer. He then made his name as a member of Militant, a Trotskyist group within the Labour party, and as a hardline council leader. His capacity for reinvention continued as an MSP as he shed his left-wing beliefs and became a moderniser. His Paisley South seat is 11th on the list of SNP targets.

Henry said of his former opposition to segregated education: "I support the retention of Catholic schools and my children attended Catholic schools. They make a very significant contribution to Scottish education.

"I think back then maybe there was an issue about what was being taught in terms of religious education, but there have been improvements since then. My actions have demonstrated my personal as well as my political commitment to the retention of Catholic education."

SNP education spokeswoman Fiona Hyslop said: "Hugh Henry needs to make a statement as to whether he still holds these views, or whether ministerial office has softened his position. This hapless minister has managed to offend nutritionists, headteachers and the Catholic Church in the space of a few weeks."

Henry recently angered dieticians and parents when he exempted oven chips from new ban on unhealthy foods in school meals.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: "Sadly, EIS resolutions on the abolition of Catholic schools have become a perennial of Scottish education. We would hope that with age would come wisdom and maturity, and the Hugh Henry of today would endorse the benefits of Catholic schools."