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Mr Paul Givan: Assembly records
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.
There are two points to make. First, the Member is right that any wastage needs to be dealt with. The EA has been looking at one aspect of that — the transportation costs associated with taxis and so on — and it will continue to look at achieving the most efficient use of resources. However, we cannot then have a…
The Member raises, rightly, from her constituency perspective, a school that needs that support. Members, not just in her party but across the Chamber, raise with me particular needs when it comes to the provision of capital expenditure. It is right that Members do that, but we can only provide the appropriate support…
I am not sure of the detail for Holy Trinity in particular. There are around 114 major capital projects in the Department of Education's programme, around 40 of which have been completed. Other projects are at various stages of the procurement exercises and are subject to the allocation of funding. Of the 114…
The Member is right. When it comes to SEN, those things are not luxuries; they are legally underpinned and therefore statutory. SEN provision is statutorily led. SEN expenditure increased from being 13% of the overall Education budget in 2017-18 to 21% in 2024-25. The number of children with SEN statements rose by…
I thank the Member for that question. The education system continues to face the unavoidable cost pressures and rising service demands associated with delivering its statutory and policy obligations. Those are not fully addressed by the current Budget. Under the proposed allocations, my Department would be required to…
I based the updated guidance for schools about using smartphones on their premises on safeguarding provisions for the protection of children and young people. That underpins the policy approach, so it is only right that posting material online is viewed in a safeguarding context and that any measures that schools put…
I share the Member's sentiment and justified outrage at how AI is being used in that fashion, which is wholly inappropriate and to be condemned. The Member will know that I have been to the fore in restricting access to smartphones. We introduced a prohibition on smartphones being brought to primary school and said…
In addition to what I said to Mr Blair, legal responsibility for the syllabus ultimately rests with the Department. The process of curriculum development is timely; we are carrying out a curriculum review across every subject as part of our transformation of the education system. In that respect, RE will be updated as…
Not in respect of the references to Holy Scripture as the basis upon which religious education will be dealt. Ultimately, the syllabus and responsibility for the RE curriculum rests with my Department. It is my intention to make announcements within the next number of weeks on the process that we will follow in…
I will make an announcement on the RE syllabus, including interim guidance, in coming weeks. The Supreme Court judgement in the matter of JR87 and another requires careful and thorough consideration, supported by detailed legal advice, to ensure that any response is proportionate, legally sound and educationally…
I attended New-Bridge Integrated College, just before Christmas. I believed very much that it was a real thing due to the wide diversity of sporting and cultural activities in which the children there were being given an opportunity to participate. It was also able to demonstrate a balanced 40:40:20 split when it came…
The Member raises really important points when it comes to the diversity that exists across our school sectors, not least the controlled sector. The highest level of diversity is reflected in the population of controlled schools. We could point to many examples where controlled schools are more integrated than those…
Obviously, when it comes to provision, many different factors need to be taken into account. We will look at not just the information that the Member has highlighted but what over-provision there may be and whether there is capacity. What we do not want to do — this is not related specifically to the school that the…
I thank the Member for the question. The 2024 life and times survey finding that 55% of adults would prefer an integrated school is a valuable indicator of public appetite for integrated education. While such attitudinal evidence is important, appetite is not the same as demonstrated admissions demand. Parental…
We continue to face significant capital pressures, and no funding has been available to progress any youth capital schemes for the voluntary or statutory sector since 2023. Given the budgetary pressures that exist, work on new youth facilities is not being taken forward at this time. However, I continue to make the…
I do not have that information to hand. What I can say to the Member is that there are increasing opportunities in our schools to have outdoor learning experiences, not least through the Forest School programme and Eco-Schools, as well as through parts of the curriculum that we are updating and refreshing, such as the…
I challenge the claim that we do not have clear guidance in place now. We do. Royal Assent is imminent, and the guidance will therefore have legal effect. When it comes to designing a school uniform, there is now a much clearer framework with which schools need to engage when it comes to practicality and…
Where a complaint comes in about a school not following the guidance, that complaint can be investigated. Ultimately, the Department will consider the information and issue a direction. Assembly colleagues included a provision in the legislation to name a school if it did not follow the provisions, so public pressure…
There is already evidence of schools having made changes. An example of that is where schools have had an honours blazer for a particular recognition. For pupils to get that recognition, a different type of uniform had to be bought, and it was often more expensive. Without naming it, in one of the schools that I have…
I thank Mr Burrows for his supplementary question and wish him well in the weeks ahead. I made a comment earlier about Mr Butler being number one today, and Mr Burrows is now number two. We wait to see whether Mr Butler will hand in his wings and give the Member his dream shot at being the leader of the Ulster…
I can confirm that, as previously advised, the school uniform guidelines have been updated to clarify that all pupils are to be permitted to wear a non-branded coat. That has always been the intention. Schools can require a range of colours but not a branded coat, and they cannot require a coat with school-specific…
The broader question that the Member raises is an important one. Almost 95,000 pupils in Northern Ireland receive some transport assistance. That is the most generous provision of anywhere in the United Kingdom. It accounts for £140 million in the 2024-25 financial year. That is significant expenditure. When Members…
The benchmark used by the EA is the Department for Infrastructure rate for metered journeys of £1·86 to £2·03 per mile. Those figures are set out in legislation — they were revised in December 2023 to take account of rising fuel costs and other taxi industry pressures — but there are contracts in place under which the…
The process to date has not led to any contract being returned by a provider. The EA engaged with operators and some of the other organisations. A number of them came forward to engage on their contracts. There is ongoing engagement, but, to date, no contract has been returned. There needs to be provision for…