Debate contribution: Education: Legislative Agenda
Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Givan
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 14 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Education: Legislative Agenda
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5685721
Read the official Assembly record
Text
There are a number of pieces of legislation that I wish to take through. I secured Executive approval for the council for controlled schools Bill by way of a policy to be publicly consulted upon. That was presented as a draft Bill to the Executive in June and is waiting for the First Minister to allow it to come onto the agenda. I hope that it will be prioritised as soon as possible, given where we are in the mandate. The education and training post compulsory school age Bill was shared with Executive colleagues in March 2026. Following a number of comments, an unchanged paper was reissued to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister. Again, I am waiting for the First Minister to allow that to come on to the agenda so that we can introduce it. It is a Bill that would help to provide greater support for young people, post 16, by way of further education and training. It would require mandatory participation and force other providers to put in place the provision of higher education or greater accessibility to apprenticeships, but it is still being blocked. Obviously, there is other legislation before the Committee, including the Education Inspections Bill. We await Committee deliberation on that. There are, therefore, a number of pieces of legislation that I would like to take through, but two of them are being blocked by Sinn Féin.
236 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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