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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.
I thank the Member for his question. Consideration of reasonable numbers is guided by the legislative framework set out in the Education Reform Order 1989, the Alliance Party's Integrated Education Act 2022 and the principles of integrated education. As a general principle, my Department will expect schools…
Yes, but the Member is tempting me to criticise in particular my good friends in the Alliance Party, although there are others. I am going to resist that temptation today. Rather, I will quote directly from the summary of the High Court's decision. It states: "the Minister could not be faulted for concentrating on the…
I do not want to single out MLAs today, but one suggested that they were disappointed at my misreading of the Act. Mr Speaker, you would be surprised if you heard who said that, given their role in drafting the legislation, or, perhaps, you would not. Another said that the Minister seemed to have got hung up on one…
I have not yet received an apology, but I have no doubt that when those who commented earlier in the year have the opportunity to read the full judgement, they will be in touch. Professional courtesy demands no less. However, I assure those Members that I will accept any such apologies, and I will not then take every…
I thank the Member for that question. Members will note that a decision was made by the High Court not to grant leave for a full judicial review of my decisions on the development proposals for the two Bangor schools that wished to transform to integrated status. The court's comprehensive judgement answers many of the…
I have just outlined the work that we have been doing, and I commend that response to the Member. Having met a number of principals and SENCOs in schools, I agree that the time that SENCOs have to spend in completing educational statements and advocating for resources to be provided to children is excessive. That is a…
I will be keen to hear the exact evidence that the Member has sought to frame and characterise in the way that she has done. Addressing special educational needs is a huge challenge. We have published a reform agenda and a delivery plan, all of which have been worked through. We had the SEN end-to-end review, which we…
That is a good question, because that is often an issue. We provide financial support, but how will we keep the young people who have gained the qualification so that they will, so to speak, pay it back to society, which has helped to pay for the course? We are very much looking at that. I believe that I have a legal…
Forgive me if I have not quite followed the question. I can be corrected, but, if the question is about providing support to those who are already in the teaching colleges, the answer is no. These are for new teachers. It is in order that, where there are shortages — the shortage in the Irish-medium sector relates to…
The pilot bursary scheme for initial teacher education represents a strategic investment in our education system and economy. It is designed to address critical teacher shortages in key post-primary subjects, namely mathematics, chemistry, physics, computing and technology and design, and in Irish-medium education.…
I did not realise that we had that in common. There is stakeholder engagement for young people to feed in their views. The consultation is open to everybody to do that, and of course that will all be taken into account and considered. This is not the first time that I have had some disagreement in my house. The mobile…
The consultation is open until 13 November. When it closes, there will be a period of analysis that officials will carry out. We will draw on that analysis and other evidence. I then intend to confirm my policy framework intentions early in 2026. Once that process has concluded and I have taken decisions in respect of…
Yes. The Member mentioned the points system. I have concern that access to universities in the Republic of Ireland is very difficult for young people in Northern Ireland. There are challenges. Work needs to be carried out at the higher education level to remove those barriers. Many young people would be willing and…
It is a really important question. That is why we are asking for feedback, particularly from pupils. The engagement that we have already had indicates that there is high pressure when you go into year 11, because, where you are carrying out the modular approach in some subjects, you are formally tested in year 11. The…
My proposals reflect a clear ambition to ensure that CCEA GCSEs, AS levels and A levels remain relevant nationally and internationally. While the main consultation is an opportunity for students to inform the proposals, my officials have also been engaging directly with students and young people in a range of settings…
The Member is right. As I said to Mr Brooks, as we seek to provide support, we also need to support the sector so that it can develop its capacity. We have an ambition to provide more support, but not just financial resource but human resource needs to be available in order to do that. Some funding has already been…
I thank the Member for his comments and his question. As I indicated, I intend to publish a comprehensive implementation plan alongside the finalised strategy following the consultation process. Although the strategy is ambitious, it will, as I said, be realistic about what can be achieved, through taking account of…
The Member is absolutely right to say that the cost of childcare is a huge financial pressure that many hard-working families have to face; we hear that in all our constituencies. That funding is a start. I have a much greater level of ambition, but that ambition very much depends on the resources that we have…
I am glad that the DUP is delivering for the Alliance Party and it is benefiting from the hard work of a DUP Minister. Unfortunately, that support was not available for my three children, who are beyond the age of eligibility. The Member is right. The Executive have already invested £80 million and have put in place…
I thank the Member for her question. I will be bringing a draft strategy to my Executive colleagues for consideration in the coming weeks, and, if agreed, it will be subject to public consultation. The strategy will build on the significant investment of £80 million already allocated by the Executive, which is already…
I thank the Member for highlighting that project in his constituency. I have visited quite a number of schools over the past 18 months, and a number of them have forest schools. Undoubtedly, they enhance the environment in which those young people learn and give them that outdoor experience. I certainly commend that…
Whilst I recognise that forest schools can play a significant role in the education of our children, the financial position for the Department unfortunately remains extremely challenging, which means that funding is not available for projects to develop outdoor space at present.
I first thank the Member for taking on her role as chair of a board of governors. It is hugely commendable to take on that responsibility. Membership of a board of governors is voluntary, and those who take on the role of chair are to be commended, because I know the high levels of work that are involved for anybody…
The Education Authority (EA) has advised that the rationale for the review of the teaching appointment scheme for controlled schools is that the current scheme has been in operation since 2016 and has not been subject to substantive review or engagement since a post-implementation review took place in 2017. The EA is…
I thank the Member for that question. I have been very keen to ensure that Northern Ireland looks outwardly towards international experience, as well as making sure that we reform our education system so that it is tailor-made for our local community and reflects our Northern Ireland context. To ensure that the…