All of Mr Paul Givan’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Ensuring that every child with a statement of special educational needs has an appropriate school placement remains a primary focus for my Department and the Education Authority. The EA has advised that it is continuing to engage with schools in the Irish-medium sector to explore the development of specialist…
It is the added line now, is it not, Members? It is just thrown out to create the anti-Irish narrative that people want to ascribe to the DUP. Not for the first time, Sinn Féin is weaponising the Irish language. It cannot go to its electorate on the basis of anything that it has actually achieved. Where is the A5? The…
FlaggedIrish language, Ulster-Scots and language policyCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
TransformED is a system-wide reform programme that is designed to address issues common across all sectors of education. In the programme, the distinct and additional requirements of Irish-medium education, particularly as it relates to immersion pedagogy, curriculum design and assessment, are being considered. An…
Working with NICIE, we have published the strategy and are taking it forward. I engage regularly with NICIE and have met its representatives on multiple occasions, including in the schools that I have taken forward. Rowandale Integrated Primary School in my constituency will soon be officially opened, and I look…
It is correct to say that the survey results need to be understood in their full context, as they can give a different impression from that of standard population surveys. The survey reports that 31·2% of parents, regardless of their first preference, said that they would have preferred their child to be educated at…
The court ruled that my decision on integrated education in those Bangor schools was right and that Members in the House were wrong. You were wrong when you voted through legislation that actually undermines integrated education. The Member is wrong about the school that he just referenced. I did not take money away…
The Member is categorically wrong about the Department's support for integrated education. I have provided pathways and frameworks for schools to become integrated. I have approved schools to become integrated. I challenge the Member: how many schools from the Catholic maintained sector has she engaged with about…
Uncertain: weak signalEducation structures, integration and community division
With your permission, Deputy Speaker, I will answer questions 1 and 7 together. My Department published the 'Integrated Education Demand: Evidence, Insights, and Limitations' report in April 2026 as part of the statutory arrangements under the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. I am clear in my…
I beg to move Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to open the Second Stage debate on this critical Bill. It has been a long time coming. Indeed, I first submitted an inspection paper to the Executive as far back as November 2024, and, as far back as December 2023, the independent review of…
I can assure the Member that the Department and the EA will meet the Children's Law Centre. They are arranging to meet in the coming weeks, and that will help to address the concerns that the Children's Law Centre raised. It will also ensure that there is a shared and accurate understanding of the enhanced support…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Member for tabling the motion, which I will support. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the debate and record my appreciation for the critical role that special educational needs coordinators play in our schools. I have witnessed at first hand the dedication and…
Normal protocol is that Members ought to ask questions that relate to the statement. That was not in the statement, so it is not relevant. The leader of the Opposition should focus on asking questions that relate the statement. Rather than just make that point to the Member, however, I will say that it is an issue of…
In compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I will make the following statement on the meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the education sectoral format that was held on 22 April this year. The Minister of Finance has agreed that I will make the statement on behalf of us both.…
I thank the Member for the question and for the encouraging comments that he made about aspects of the proposals. It is important that we work through them in order to allow them to be implemented. The benefit will then be accrued to the teaching profession. The Member mentioned workplace violence and poor behaviour…
I am sure that the Member will lead by example in future after that rebuke and will not engage in the very same behaviour that he has accused others of. He does it himself. Indeed, the first Member who had the Floor, Mr McCrossan, engaged in exactly the behaviour for which he has just rebuked others. People will see…
The Member is absolutely right when it comes to the dangers of social media and the negative impact that it has on our young people. That is why I brought forward a clear policy position on smartphones for our post-primary schools and primary schools. They are not to be brought to primary schools, and they are not to…
I met a school principal from the Member's constituency this morning. The Member does not want to hear about a school principal in her constituency. She has her clip for social media, and she is not interested in the response. That is typical of what we get from Sinn Féin. When I met the school principal from the…
I hope that everyone in the Chamber agrees that teaching is a profession that has the utmost importance in our society. Every day, teachers and school leaders shape the lives, aspirations and futures of our children and young people. Our education system depends on their professionalism, skill and commitment. For too…
I thank the Member for that question. It is notable that Sinn Féin talked about "blockages". If Sinn Féin wants reform, it can start with itself. It can start by removing the blockade on my legislation, some of which has sat for months with the Executive. It can start by removing the veto that it is exercising by…
The legislation that I seek to introduce is central to the Department's work to ensure that children and young people receive the education that they deserve. My Bill to require young people to participate in education or training for an additional two years beyond the compulsory school age has been fully drafted and…
I am confident that the overwhelming majority of the schemes will be able to take place, albeit the planning for them has happened very late in the year. I responded to that issue in the Chamber when we debated a motion on it. Different staff will deliver the schemes. A lot of them are different staff from those who…
Decisions were taken on the regional aspect of that issue, and the position has been outlined that the schemes are to go ahead. Funding is not an issue, nor was it ever an issue. The Department of Health has said that the appropriate nursing care will be made available. The Education Authority (EA) has taken that…
There are various stages in that engagement, and we have had stage 1. The EA is working through situations in which offers were not made to parents or where parents had not expressed a second preference. Often, there will be those who do not put down a second preference because they think, "If I do not get my first…
We reviewed the process last year, and, whilst it is no comfort to parents who did not get their first-preference choice this year, 92·5% is an improvement on last year in accommodating first-preference choices across those settings. In my view, there is always room for improvement. There is a very transparent process…