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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.
The Education Authority (EA) is operationally responsible for the use of funds for, for example, minor works schemes. It needs to ensure the efficient use of taxpayers' funding to do that, and its procurement process is supposed to achieve those desired outcomes. When it comes to major capital and school enhancement…
Maintenance of the external fabric of buildings is generally a landlord maintenance item under the common funding scheme for the local management of schools and, as such, is typically funded from the resource maintenance budget. Larger schemes that upgrade, replace or alter the building or infrastructure are funded…
I would love to see that scheme developed in more places than it is. The identification of need is based on the multiple index of deprivation, so there is a sound evidence base for where the schemes should operate. Would I like them to be extended into other parts of Northern Ireland? Yes, I would, but, like…
The Executive have moved at pace to take forward the initial schemes that we have stood up. That is why priority was given to the childcare subsidy scheme, which is delivering £1 million every month, drawing down the tax-free allowance that we get from Westminster as the component part on which we built the scheme. We…
I know that the Member has championed the issues for a period of time, and I thank her for that. It will be my Department that brings forward the work on the strategy. That is the detailed work that we are engaging on. We will pull together the various strands to allow us to take that forward. I will lead on it, but,…
I confirm that the introduction of an early learning framework covering that age group is being considered as part of the work to develop a draft early learning and childcare strategy. Such a framework will take account of relevant existing guidance in programmes such as Sure Start and the preschool education…
I thank the Member for those comments. He is right to highlight the necessity of making sure that the devices are registered on the national Circuit. That is absolutely vital. There is no point in having the device and only a small section of the community knowing about it. We need to make sure that they are all…
I am more than happy to associate myself with the Member's comments about Cormac McAnallen and the work done over many years to highlight the issues. The tragic stories of sudden death on sporting fields have generated the interest that exists now in making sure that we provide the right support. The Member is…
If the issue is at my end, I apologise. I am not sure whether the issue lies with the Department or the Assembly, but I am sure that your investigation will get to the bottom of it, Mr Speaker. I am proud to announce a significant new initiative to fund and roll out defibrillators to all schools in Northern Ireland.…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I thank Mr Crawford for securing the debate and for speaking to these important issues. I join Mr Gaston in commending Mr Crawford and paying tribute to his volunteering work and particular interest in this area. I thank all Members for their contributions to the debate, and I will…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the debate on a motion that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of children and families across Northern Ireland. I very much welcome the motion before us, because it brings into focus something that is important to many people in Northern…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank colleagues for the opportunity to respond to the motion and thank Mr Butler for moving it. Everyone who spoke demonstrated the real issues that are affecting our constituents. I will disagree with colleagues on very little of what they said, which they expressed with passion. It…
Contingency measures have been put in place. When we started, significant progress was made by creating 1,400 places, which ensured that placements were being provided. In September, October and November, we have been completing the final numbers for school settings that need additional capital. Where we still have…
I am always struck by the fact that, when I visit a school, whether it be a primary school or a post-primary school, the student council will come to meet me and talk about how its members have had to make speeches in order to get votes. I seek to gather advice from them on how I can use that approach myself. Schools…
I have been in a number of schools in which that example of financial management has been used to help young people understand money and how to use it. That has been of benefit to them and to the school. It is unlikely that I will be able provide direct funding for that, given the budget pressures that we are under.…
Let me say as a starting point that resolutions are non-binding, so a motion that is agreed by the Assembly does not carry any legal status. The amendment to the motion sought reassurances from me, as Minister, that what had been done was correct. I am quite capable of providing the evidence to any Member who wishes…
We will continue to monitor that. The impact that it may have on some families could cause them to reconsider their use of private schools and to consider whether they need to access education in the public setting, the cost of which will be borne by the taxpayer. I cannot be precise about the numbers associated with…
That is an issue of concern that I have expressed opposition to and engaged with Treasury on. HMRC has confirmed that there are 14 independent schools and 11 grammar schools in Northern Ireland that will fall within the scope of the VAT changes owing to the Government's policy.
I have met many parents and constituents about the very same issue that the Member has raised. I have always tried to accommodate all the requests for meetings that come in to me. The figures are the evidence of that. I think I may have met more individuals and groups than any other Minister in the Executive. I would…
It is an issue with the operation of the policy that many Members have raised. Any one particular change will have a repercussive effect and cannot be taken forward in isolation. I will look at the home-to-school transport issue, not least because there are ways in which we could provide better support to young people…
The Member will be pleased to know that over 400 of his constituents are registered for the scheme and benefiting from it. Again, it is worth highlighting that those 418 children in North Belfast are an element of the now over 13,000 people in hardworking families who are benefiting directly. We have also been able to…
We touched on this issue during listed questions. The preschool setting is one of the areas of the childcare strategy funded by the Executive, and we aim to deliver 2,200 full-time places in September. So far, the two tranches have comprised 77 preschool settings, and that allows us to move forward with those places.…
Tomorrow morning at Methodist College, I will launch the new CPR training app. In conjunction with training, we need to look at the physical device. That is why I commissioned a survey of all schools, to which we have had over 600 responses. Half of the schools that were surveyed do not have such devices on-site. It…
I thank the Member for his question, which is a very important one. CPR is dealt with in the curriculum, but we need to give greater focus to it. Teaching of CPR and awareness of defibrillators have been mandatory elements of the school curriculum at Key Stage 3 since 2022. To support schools in meeting that…