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I thank the Minister for his answer. The Minister has given his view that that is a sensible way forward from the Infrastructure Minister, and I do not disagree, but is he aware of any other arm's-length bodies that have incurred similar overspends such that Departments have taken similar action in employing a…
I have had no specific engagement with the Minister for Infrastructure regarding a potential overspend by NI Water. My officials monitor each Department's spend against budget on an ongoing basis through the regular forecast out-turn processes. It is for each individual Minister to manage their budget, including that…
Each procurement exercise will have its own contract. Departments should monitor those and satisfy themselves from the outset that the procurement process is being followed properly and that, as I said to the previous questioner, value for money is being achieved. The Department of Finance sets out policy on those…
Minister, what methods or mechanisms are available to the Department to ensure that not only proper procurement procedures but proper payment procedures are adhered to for arm's-length bodies?
That is a matter for the Department of Health, the Health Minister and, indeed, the Health Committee to assess and interrogate. It is important that public funds are used wisely and are accounted for. It is also important that we are getting maximum value for money and that small- and medium-sized enterprises are not…
Minister, during the past five years, the health trusts in Northern Ireland have spent close to £3 billion on care home contracts without going through procurement processes. What is your assessment of how that spending aligns with requirements and best practice, given that there are concerns about the lack of…
I am committed to ensuring that our procurement practices are simplified and easily accessible for local businesses, particularly as 85% of businesses here have between one and nine employees, and 97% have fewer than 50 employees. The simplification of the procurement processes and practices for contracts that are…
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Will the Minister expand a little on how the new simplified procurement process helps local small businesses to access public-sector contracts?
At the beginning of March, the Executive approved an increase in procurement control limits to reflect inflation over the past five years and to introduce greater flexibilities for public bodies. The new limits were effective immediately. The changes allow public bodies to target spending below £50,000, or £65,000 for…
Since the break-in and further incidents of attempted unauthorised access, all locks on the entry and exit doors to Dundonald House have been changed, chains and padlocks have been put in place where access is believed to have been gained, access to the roof has been closed off and 24-hour on-site security has been…
The Member is correct, and it is on the record: Dundonald House was accessed in recent times. However, the room containing Prison Service files was not accessed, and, even if it had been, there would have been no access to the storage facilities in which the files were held. I asked whether the room was entered and…
The Minister will know that concerns have been raised with the Information Commissioner's Office about the break-in at Dundonald House by those who feel that personnel files kept there were not secure. Will the Minister outline the processes for accounting for all personnel files, be they of prison officers or anybody…
With the creation of the centralised NICS HR function in 2017, the data controller for all Civil Service staff files moved to the Department of Finance. Given the security considerations for prison-grade staff, it was agreed that all live and legacy hard copies would remain in NI Prison Service headquarters.
Obviously, there is support for our special schools, but they are managing increasingly difficult medical complexities. The pupils who are coming forward, thankfully, live much longer than used to be the case as a result of advances in the medical world. However, that means that support is required in our special…
Minister, given your support for the process, what support can you give to principals and the leadership in those schools while that work is being undertaken?
The Chief Nursing Officer has been commissioning work for allied health professionals who operate in our special schools. That is an area on which I have engaged with the Health Minister, and I will continue to do so. We await a report on how that work is being taken forward, because I have heard concerns from…
I concur with the Member. She is absolutely right about the importance of excellence. The next stage of the TransformED will be a detailed implementation plan to support the delivery of the strategy over the next number of years. That will identify lead organisations and delivery mechanisms as well as funding…
Thank you, Minister. All of us in the House recognise that excellence in our schools and throughout the education system for all of our pupils is really important. What do you see as the long-term stages in the process?
Following the launch of the TransformED strategy, there have been important announcements about assessment and professional learning. Working with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), we have introduced a new system-level sample assessment in literacy and numeracy for pupils at the end…
There is ongoing engagement on the issue and has been over the past week. This week, the most senior representatives of the Education Authority — the chief executive and directors — will actively meet schools in areas where need has been identified in order to provide assurances that the schools will be supported when…
That is an important issue on which we continue to engage with the Education Authority. We believe that around 1,300 places are required to accommodate the need identified for September 2025. While the Education Authority has been working to increase the majority of the capacity across the school estate, an assumed…
Maybe the Member is incapable of reading. He may want to go back to school so that he can read the agreement. The agreement includes 26 workload areas. That was the commitment that management side entered into with the teaching trade unions. We have not only delivered a 5·5% increase but committed to 26 areas around…
The Minister lives on another planet. He must not have been engaging directly with teachers and support staff recently: they are not happy with where the situation has landed. What steps will the Minister take to address the workload and caseload issues that teachers have raised?