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.
Yes. Concerns were raised, and we provided transparency on the data that was used. I assure the Member that a wide range of indicators, including free school meal entitlement, were used to shortlist the super output areas for potential inclusion in the programme. The methodology for the selection of RAISE localities…
The Member makes a really valuable point. That is very much what RAISE is about. It is a whole-community response. It is not a school-led initiative; it is a community-led initiative. Therefore, it is important that, as programmes are developed, there is collaboration with interested stakeholders, whether they be…
Very much so. The Member has had me visit a number of areas in his constituency, and there is a clear desire for the project to be successful. I am pleased that we have made significant progress in allocating the funding that has been provided through the Shared Island Fund. We have now been able to allocate that…
There has been very positive engagement with stakeholders in North Belfast through locality engagement events, focus groups, individual meetings and strategic area plan workshops. There has also been engagement with parents and with children and young people led by Parenting Focus and Stranmillis University College…
Mr Bradley has been a consistent and passionate campaigner for progress to be made on the site. He has made representation to me on a number of occasions. The challenge that has presented is with the significant, major capital expenditure in order to facilitate location on the site that had been identified and with…
I appreciate the comments and share the views that the Member has raised with me. I have met the principals behind the school, and, recently, I have engaged with the newly appointed principal who will take forward the school, and those concerns have been expressed to me. As I said in my original response, I have met…
The Education Authority (EA) submitted a business case to my Department on 4 April 2025 to facilitate the establishment of Causeway Academy. My Department has never had such a significant capital requirement presented to it arising from an approved development proposal (DP), and it has never committed to such…
That is a really important question. It is not a matter that was expressly on the agenda for that particular sectoral meeting. However, it is an area that my officials and I are engaged on in looking at the barriers that inhibit people from Northern Ireland from accessing universities in the Republic of Ireland. The…
In compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I make the following statement on the meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the education sector that was held on Wednesday 2 April 2025. The meeting took place in the Middletown Centre for Autism and was chaired by me. Other attendees…
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. During the debate, the Chairman of the Committee indicated that it will be the responsibility of DUP members to outline at the Committee meeting how they will deliver on this. Mr Speaker, can you confirm that it is the responsibility of the Committee, particularly the Chairman of the…
Obviously, there is support for our special schools, but they are managing increasingly difficult medical complexities. The pupils who are coming forward, thankfully, live much longer than used to be the case as a result of advances in the medical world. However, that means that support is required in our special…
The Chief Nursing Officer has been commissioning work for allied health professionals who operate in our special schools. That is an area on which I have engaged with the Health Minister, and I will continue to do so. We await a report on how that work is being taken forward, because I have heard concerns from…
I concur with the Member. She is absolutely right about the importance of excellence. The next stage of the TransformED will be a detailed implementation plan to support the delivery of the strategy over the next number of years. That will identify lead organisations and delivery mechanisms as well as funding…
Following the launch of the TransformED strategy, there have been important announcements about assessment and professional learning. Working with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), we have introduced a new system-level sample assessment in literacy and numeracy for pupils at the end…
There is ongoing engagement on the issue and has been over the past week. This week, the most senior representatives of the Education Authority — the chief executive and directors — will actively meet schools in areas where need has been identified in order to provide assurances that the schools will be supported when…
That is an important issue on which we continue to engage with the Education Authority. We believe that around 1,300 places are required to accommodate the need identified for September 2025. While the Education Authority has been working to increase the majority of the capacity across the school estate, an assumed…
Maybe the Member is incapable of reading. He may want to go back to school so that he can read the agreement. The agreement includes 26 workload areas. That was the commitment that management side entered into with the teaching trade unions. We have not only delivered a 5·5% increase but committed to 26 areas around…
I was delighted that we were able to reach an agreement on teachers' pay. It was a commitment that I wanted to deliver on. When I first came into post, a new recruit coming out of our teacher training college was paid £23,000 a year. Thanks to a DUP Education Minister, new recruits will now start on £31,650 a year.…
The Committee could work harder. The public expect this place to get on with its job. I note that, on 27 September 2024, when the consultation on the school uniform Bill went out, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Mathison said: "This is an issue which has gone on for too long." I agree. It has gone on for too long,…
The motion on the Committee Stage extension, which will be debated later today in the House, would, if the Committee follows its inefficient approach, result in the legislation not taking effect until September 2027. It is therefore vital that Members support the amendment that has been tabled. The Committee and its…
The Member rightly outlines how the Education Authority is responsible for allocating the PAN to providers. The allocation takes place annually and can change, and that can create instability in some of the settings. The Education Authority is, however, actively trying to manage the number of places in order to match…
I agree entirely with the Member about the regrettable information that was put out in advance of what was meant to be sent later this week. The Education Authority looked into the matter and engaged with the company that was responsible, Version 1, and it has apologised. It was preparing to release the information…
It was announced on Friday 28 March that, following individual consultation with members, the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) was not in a position to ratify an agreement on the management side's revised formal offer to resolve the teachers' pay dispute 2024-25. That second pay offer was rejected. That is…
The Member's points can be debated, and I have sympathy for some of them. The decision to abolish academic selection by the state led to the privatisation of the transfer process, so I find it ironic that some advocate greater state control. I have a lot of sympathy for that point. Some parents ask, "Why can these…