Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
Back in the day, when I was a young person — maybe I am now just young at heart, although the politically correct Civil Service guide says that you should not say those sorts of things — I actively campaigned against releasing prisoners. I wanted them to be kept in prison. The Member's party campaigned to release mass…
It is crystal clear that young people reject paramilitary activity in their community. Young people listening today will be disappointed that you met that group, because they want to leave violence behind and to leave groups associated with violence outside the conversation about education. Can you provide the Chamber…
There have been occasions on which it has been recommended that I not meet an individual or group, and I have met them, so that is not the only occasion on which that has occurred.
Transitions post 19 for young people with statements of special educational needs have been a key aspect of the end-to-end review of special educational needs. I am aware that my officials recently met the Member and a number of parents at Rossmar School to discuss the matter. My officials are working closely with…
That is about how the curriculum is delivered. The preventative curriculum in particular is kept under review, and, as issues emerge, we need to make sure that we have the right support for it. The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has been good at providing material when schools have…
Minister, drugs education is an important part of the preventative curriculum, yet, despite that, the North has seen a trebling of drug deaths in the past decade. Will the Minister outline whether there is any revision or review taking place in his Department of drugs awareness and education in our schools?
I thank the Minister for his answer. Does the Minister agree with the NSPCC, the Children's Law Centre, the Human Rights Commission and others that ensuring the delivery of quality RSE in schools is a key safeguarding issue?
The Education and Training Inspectorate report uses the term "preventative curriculum" to encompass safeguarding practices and the taught elements of the curriculum, such as personal development, mutual understanding and relationships and sexuality education (RSE). The ETI report found that pupil safety and…
There has been an impact from the cap, and changes have happened. It has had an impact on some of the funding that we have been receiving, but we are assessing what the threshold should be. The cap that exists has affected a small number of people. The overwhelming majority of people have not been impacted by the cap…
A number of bodies that I have met can provide support. There is the NI Childminding Association with Patricia Lewsley. That organisation provides support to childminders that they can turn to. As part of the review and the strategy that we want to take forward, I am happy to look at the idea of a professional body.…
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. As part of the work that you are doing to support early education and childcare workers, will you consider helping to fund the creation of a professional body for early years and childcare workers?
The challenges facing the early learning and childcare workforce, including recruitment, retention, qualifications and pay, are well recognised and are being considered as part of the development of the Executive's early learning and childcare strategy. However, aware of the immediate pressures faced by the sector, I…
I assure the Member that we have already secured the funding to take forward the first tranche of the standardisation programme within the early learning and childcare funding pot. Twenty-five million pounds was allocated to that, and that is allowing us to identify at least 100 settings that, by 1 September next…
The general allocation of £170 million for education in the monitoring round is very welcome. Will any of the money go to the provision of 22·5 funded preschool hours a week? If not, how can the Executive deliver on their key priority in the Programme for Government?
The Executive and I, as Minister, wanted to make sure that action was taken, not just words. A strategy is a document that outlines what you want to do. I wanted to do something, and the Executive wanted to do something, hence the focus has been on standing up the childcare subsidy scheme as well as all of the other…
I have met many stakeholders in the childcare and early years sectors, and the consensus seems to be that the Department has everything that it needs to produce a childcare strategy. What specifically is holding up the publication of an early learning and childcare strategy?
Obviously, there has been an impact as a result of the change that has been made through the National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage. Many businesses are raising the issue of how they will meet the additional expenditure that is now required. As we review the outworkings of all of that, we will seek to…
In light of the Budget the week before last and the changes to employers' National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage, is the Minister considering additional support for the childcare sector generally?
Childcare providers are in a private marketplace. How would that be regulated? How would you do it? I am picking up something that another Member asked about how you would provide a scheme to support the pay and the terms and conditions of the people involved in after-school clubs and so on. One of the proposals in…
Minister, the community and voluntary sector provides first-class care for children of school age with breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. Unfortunately, we do not have enough of them. What plans do you have to further support and stabilise that sector, specifically in respect of staff and attracting new workers…
The Member is right to raise the issue of helping to support school-age children. I alluded to that in the original response. The reason we focused on preschool-age children is that that is typically the period when families face the highest childcare costs. It is in that period that mothers are transitioning back to…
I thank the Minister. The work that he has done in this area is very much appreciated, and many parents are grateful for the support. However, there are parents who have children of school age who are not necessarily getting that support. There is much that we can do with breakfast clubs and after-school clubs, which,…
When I took up post in February, I realised that urgent action was needed to make childcare more affordable. I secured an additional £25 million of Executive funding in May to implement a package of measures in this financial year that are already making a real difference to thousands of children and families across…