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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 qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
That is exactly why there is a 16-week consultation period, rather than the normal 12 weeks or the minimum eight weeks; to allow the public and teaching profession to very much engage in that curriculum, which I commend to all Members. The curriculum was developed through 13 subject working groups: over 70 local…
The EA's enhanced support model has been out for consultation. The Member's party is the largest political grouping on the Education Authority, so his party supported the model's being consulted on. If we retain the current provision, which is not working and is failing children, we will consign many more young people…
Classroom assistants are a highly valued part of the education workforce, and their contribution will remain essential, irrespective of any new model of support that is provided for children and young people who have a statement of special educational needs. Recognising the urgent need to address the challenges faced…
The trade unions have also raised with me the issue of managing behaviour in our schools and the different practices that exist across Northern Ireland. That is why we will move forward with an independent review of behaviour-management practices in our schools. I hope to make progress on that in due course. We need…
TransformED has many strands. Many of those who were involved in developing TransformED and, in particular, the curriculum are local practitioners. I thank the more than 70 local teachers from different sectors who sat on the 13 subject working groups. The curriculum is now out for consultation, providing an…
It is an area that I have had to navigate, as have many previous Education Ministers. Industrial relations is an area that needs ongoing work. I have outlined how we can address it, but I come back to saying that, when workload was undefined, trade unions struggled to specify the challenge. They said so to me, and I…
We very much want to support SENCOs. That is part of the wider SEN reform approach that we need to see in our schools. The Member, like other Members, will know that demand is increasing, yet we have a finite resource available to help. One of the recommendations of the report suggested that wider administrative…
At the end of April 2026, I published the workload action plan. That plan translates the recommendations of the independent review panel into practical, deliverable and time-bound measures. The plan addresses each of the 27 recommendations either fully or in part with clear ownership, governance arrangements and…
There is an element of regulation and how that can be effective or the way in which parents will choose whom they want to care for their children. If a provider is doing it for significantly less than others, I suspect that those in the expensive range will not be able to maintain their services. There is, therefore,…
A key lesson on fee-capping arrangements in other jurisdictions is that they were supported by a detailed understanding of the cost of providing quality childcare. The Republic of Ireland, England and Scotland commissioned independent research to establish the cost of delivering quality childcare, and that informed…
The Member is right when she says that parents have an expectation that the subsidy will have a meaningful impact on fees. I hope to publish the findings of the consultation on the childcare strategy in the next number of days and to report on that and the next steps. The consultation indicated that we want to move…
During the development of the draft early learning and childcare strategy, I considered the potential of fee-capping arrangements as one possible approach to supporting families with the costs of childcare. However, it is important to recognise that around 80% of day-care provision in Northern Ireland is privately…
In my earlier response, I explained that there will be circumstances that justify such an approach, where it is appropriate. It is important that we move forward, particularly when it comes to the likes of professional development — that has not been addressed for many years — to support our teaching profession. The…
If there have been any direct award contracts, a process will have been followed. That is normal practice. The process includes a determination of whether it is value for money. If the Member is referring to a particular example with those details, I will be happy to look into it and provide any assurances that he…
"Direct award payments" is not a recognised term. The Member might mean "direct award contracts". If so, those are permitted in limited and clearly defined circumstances and where there are compelling reasons why competition is not possible or appropriate.
I am happy to facilitate the request from the Member for Upper Bann. Part of the frustration that King's Park and many schools face is the very lengthy list of capital works programmes and school enhancement programmes to be taken forward. Those could be taken forward with a much greater allocation of capital funding…
A business case to identify the preferred option to be taken forward in design is being prepared by the Education Authority. It is anticipated that that business case will be lodged with the Department for consideration in the coming weeks. Should business case approval be granted, design work on the preferred option…
I have heard that put forward by some, and it is wrong to claim that inspection processes were not impacted on by action short of strike, including when it came to issues around safeguarding. In the 2022-23 academic year, several years after protracted industrial action commenced, the unions agreed to include…
If only the Member asked me questions in the same way in which she asked the First Minister questions earlier. She was so pleasant and nice during that Question Time, but, when it comes to me, she is like a different Member. Once the Bill goes through its due consideration processes, how the Assembly wishes to vote on…
That is not a fair characterisation. In fact, I was with Justin McCamphill, the leader of NASUWT, at the launch of the curriculum reform, at which he commended me for it and said that he thought that it was good. I have sat in many a meeting with trade union representatives during which they have said, "This is a good…
Protections around strike action and action short of strike are firmly established in statute for all workers, including teachers. If the Member is referring to the Education Inspections Bill, let me be clear: nothing in that legislation removes or undermines that right. However, there must be a clear distinction…
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have addressed those points. I sought to facilitate as many Members as I possibly could, including the Minister of Justice. If I prolonged my contribution to the dissatisfaction of the Member for South Belfast, I can only apologise for the Minister's interventions and my indulgence of…
Listen, it was a reform that we agreed with. It may not have been our starting point either. We had to compromise, and we restored the institutions on the basis of New Decade, New Approach. Under that, we know the rules: two or more parties have to sign it, not just one; it cannot be used to block legislation at…