Debate contribution: Preschool Admissions: Socially Disadvantaged Circumstances Criterion

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 7 September 2026.

MLA

Mr Paul Givan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

7 September 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

Preschool Admissions: Socially Disadvantaged Circumstances Criterion

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5670253

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Member for her question on preschool applications. When it comes to providing access, you want as many first-choice applicants as possible to be successful. An increasing number have been successful in attaining their first choice, but managing the number of providers and making them available is an ongoing issue for the EA to deal with. There is a declining birth rate, which can have implications for the number of providers that are available in a particular local community. Today's announcement will ensure that local people in a community will all be treated fairly. There will be no advantage or disadvantage now, which was the case under the social disadvantage criterion. Everyone will be on a level playing field. Just as in a primary school or a post-primary school, those settings will be able to select their own criteria. That was the only area where there was a legislative requirement on a particular aspect of a preschool setting. That has now been removed, which will help to level up things for people in their communities.

I referenced that figure earlier when I made my statement. It is a recognition that what was initially intended, and the purpose behind that when the regulation was brought in, was in respect of those who were in receipt of income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance. Those criteria, when they were used in 2019-2020, accounted for around 15% of applications. Welfare reform and the increasing number of areas under universal credit, which have been read into the interpretation that is applied by the EA, has resulted in 36% of this year's applicants meeting the social disadvantage criterion. That is distorting the process and is not what was intended. I have now realigned the admissions policy with the actual legislation, and, therefore, based on our assessment, there will be only 27 applications, which represents 0·4% of those who are entitled to avail themselves of the social disadvantage criterion, based on what is actually in the law.

Thank you, and I will return the compliment, because I do like Ms Nicholl's political style. She is far too nice to be in this place.

She is incredibly generous and someone with whom I get on very well. She can hold her own, that is for sure. She asks an important question. The statement referenced the 100 further settings that will be identified as part of the rolling programme of standardisation. For me to take those forward, Executive funding will be required. Currently, we are in a position in which I have been proceeding at risk in the current financial year because the Executive have not provided the ring-fenced funding needed to allow the continuation of the already agreed measures. I am therefore proceeding at risk with the funding that we are currently putting into a number of the schemes, on the basis that I will get Executive agreement, because I do not believe that any party will want to renege on doing that when they have already agreed to the standardisation process. That speaks to the wider budgetary challenge facing the Executive that will crystallise if we cannot get a resolution over the next period. In order to keep the momentum going, having moved from 40% full-time provision — we now sit at 65% full-time provision — we need to be planning for and identifying those 100 settings, making sure that they are in a state of readiness and then bringing them online for the next academic year. What I have therefore announced today is that we will identify those 100 settings. We will move towards their being brought into the full-time provision, which I believe everybody wants us to do, but, obviously, funding continues to be an issue, not just on this issue but across all the early learning and childcare strategy schemes that we are currently implementing.

643 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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