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.
As part of taking forward the new builds, I have now had the opportunity to speak with the principals of Sperrinview Special School, Knockevin Special School and Ardnashee School and College, the three schools about which I made an announcement this morning. The principals are absolutely delighted. One of them could…
Yes. We anticipate that we will need, as the Member said, eight new schools: four in Belfast and four in other parts of Northern Ireland. We have asked the EA to carry out work to identify in more detail that provision, which, we believe, is needed. It will carry out that work for us along with work on all the other…
The challenges regarding SEN capital investment are significant. From around £8 million of capital invested four years ago, the figure rose to over £47 million in the last financial year. That investment includes recent major works at four special schools and the ongoing new build project at Ardnashee special school.…
It is significant. Assistance is provided to over 90,000 school pupils every day, including more than 10,000 who have additional transport needs detailed in their statement of educational need. Children with a statement of SEN follow a different process for admission to school. In the most recent financial year,…
The Member referred to parental choice when it comes to the schools that people choose to go to. A range of sectors is available to people. The Department has facilitated that, including through our home to school transport policy. I will look into the specific issue that the Member has raised in more detail, and I…
I totally understand the frustration that the Member has articulated. I deal with those issues as well at constituency level. It is a heavily regulated area. There is legislation in respect of the criteria, and they are strictly applied within those parameters. I understand the frustration and have experienced it at…
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 5 and 6 together. A review of the home to school transport policy commenced in 2018. However, it was paused by the then Minister due to the pandemic and further suspended pending the outcome of the independent review of education. The transport policy supports…
The chief executive of the Education Authority has a huge responsibility, and I am very much engaged with the Education Authority, not just on the issue that the Member rightly highlights as a concern but across the entire education remit. Mr Pengelly has a big responsibility in his role, and I am very much leading in…
The answer is no. I did not speak to any ministerial colleague on the issue. I engaged the head of the Civil Service because she has to approve the secondment, and I am grateful to her for doing so. Consequently, the Education Authority board endorsed the secondment of Richard Pengelly at a meeting on 21 March, and he…
Before I deal with the question the Member has asked, let me clarify the respective responsibilities of the Education Authority board and the Minister in the process leading to the appointment of a CEO. The relevant legislation indicates that the chief executive: "shall be appointed by the Authority. (5) The Authority…
The Member is entirely wrong in her characterisation of nothing having been done; it is quite the opposite. I immediately brought a paper to the Executive, and we set up a task and finish group. I got the buy-in of all Departments to engage in that process. I engaged with the Finance Minister and the First Minister.…
There is a real need for a timeline. I understand that and have heard it from my engagements with providers, parents and carers. However, we need to be clear about the purpose of the schemes and the outcomes that we want to achieve, and the task and finish group has been supporting that work. The three broad areas —…
It has been very important to have the Department for the Economy, the Department of Finance and the other Departments that I mentioned represented on the task and finish group, because childcare has a much wider societal impact. We need to make sure that we support people who want to stay in the workforce and…
The Executive have retained the £25 million at the centre, so it does not sit in my Department. I need to bring forward an Executive paper to access it. There are, broadly, four areas that we need to look at. One is stabilisation of the sector, and I refer to organisations such as Sure Start, in which the Department…
With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 2 and 3 together. I will begin with an update on the work of the cross-departmental task and finish group. The group was established to bring a cross-departmental perspective to the development of an early learning and childcare strategy. That is essential,…
The statement this morning outlined the process for any new build, school enhancement programme or minor works schemes. There needs to be an assessment of need, followed by feasibility studies, a business case and design processes before a school project gets to the point of being ready. When the capital becomes…
Thank you, Mr Butler. Let me see what I can do. It is an unconventional way in which to try to get a meeting at such short notice. Let us see what we can do once Question Time is over.
Workforce issues are a real challenge. Some of those rest with the Department, such as making sure that we have appropriate recruitment and retention. In other special schools, the allied health professionals who come in are direct employees of the health service and the local trusts. Increasingly, a number of…
As I alluded to in my ministerial statement, I have been putting SEN first in my Department. That is why we now have a discrete, stand-alone capital programme for special educational needs provision. We are assessing what provision is necessary across Northern Ireland, including in South Down, and I was obviously able…
Thank you, Mr Speaker. South Down has been identified by the EA as being an area of particular pressure, with additional places being required in special schools and for SPiMS. The EA continues to engage with all education sectors in the area on building capacity and addressing need. It is in discussions with Rathore…
Today I announced the biggest step change in capital planning in education for a generation, with an ambitious and far-reaching programme that will require half a billion pounds of investment in facilities for children with special educational needs over the next decade. The programme will transform the education and…
Mr Kingston articulates very well the needs in Belfast, and that area has been identified as one where there is pressure. There is particular pressure in north and west Belfast, so a new Belfast school for 275 children from ages three to 19 is at an advanced stage. Where that school could be sited still needs to be…
I thank the Member for highlighting that excellent school in Larne. I know that she has campaigned for the provision there. For it, as one of those 10 schools, this is about driving through the design process to get to the point of being in a state of readiness for funding, and that will be important. Obviously, in…
The Member is correct that there have been occasions when a special school is what is best but there has been a lack of capacity. When I was in Knockevin Special School, the principal indicated that there were children whom they had wanted to take, because that was the right thing to do, but were unable to take…
The Member is right. The programme that I have announced will take that long-term strategic view. As I outlined in my statement, the number of children presenting and requiring a statement of educational need has increased significantly over the past number of years. That is expected to rise up to 2032. What are we…