Paul Givan
Lagan Valley · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“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.”
“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.”
“The issue was covered at length at the Education Committee. The position is still not where it ought to be. When I came into office, the position that I inherited was much worse than it is today.”
“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.”
“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 initiative.”
“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.”
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“Yes. I do not know how much advice and guidance young people will get to become politicians. I did not need advice or guidance on that when I was at school, because I always wanted to do it. <BR /> <BR />The Member makes an important point, however, about getting the right careers advice. It is not always about pursuing academic qualifications; there are apprenticeships and trades. It is also about making sure that the qualifications that you come out with will, ultimately, lead you to getting a job. Albeit I went into politics, but, when I graduated with my degree in business studies, so too did hundreds of other people. When it comes to seeking employment, what is it that sets an individual apart from other people with a generalised type of qualification? The Member is right to raise the issue of getting the right careers advice.”
“The Member will have heard the response that I provided to Mr Baker in respect of the report that I await on that matter. Obviously, where budget is available, the Department will be able to do much more. That scheme ended last year. The annual contribution towards it was approximately £20 million a year. In considering all these things, there are budget constraints. However, there is a very clear policy objective of trying to help people who need help. That needs to be what guides my Department in the bid that we will make for our financial resources for next year.”
“Where there is a need for collaboration, I will work with Executive colleagues to try to take that forward.”
“Collaboration with Executive colleagues takes place in a number of areas. I can think of the skills agenda. There is a framework in place with the Department for the Economy, for example, because of the overlap between the age of 16 and moving into the ages of 17, 18 and 19, which requires collaboration. Importantly, the Executive's early learning and childcare strategy requires effective collaboration across a whole range of Departments. <BR /> <BR />I have already put forward a paper to the Executive and got agreement to set up a group that includes the Department of Health, which has an important role, the Department for the Economy, because of the employability aspects, and the Department for Communities. I have no doubt that the Department of Finance will also have an interest.”
“That may be for the Department of Education or the Department for Communities, so we can follow up that invitation and make sure that an appropriate meeting can be set up for the Member.”
“The point that the Member raises about the most effective use of public resources is worthy of consideration. The voluntary sector provides excellent support to our children and young people, and I want to see it supported. It faced significant reductions in its budget when Stormont was not up and running. Subject, obviously, to all my Department's budgetary requirements, I want to make sure that we are able to support community/voluntary use. The Member makes the comparison with the statutory sector and raises value for money, and that is certainly worthy of further consideration and assessment.”
“We as a party have outlined from day 1 that we are underfunded and that that needs to be corrected, and we will continue to make that representation to the Treasury.”
“The bid that I will put forward will certainly challenge Executive colleagues to match that ambition. It also puts into stark focus why my party leader, at the time of the discussions with the Government, said that the financial package was not enough. Other parties said, "Get the Executive back up and running". Our position was constitutional — it was not based on financial considerations — but we made it clear that it would not be enough. Others said, "We can fight this fight from within". I quoted to Mr Tennyson what his party leader said at the time, and I look forward to seeing how effective that strategy is when it comes to securing the additional funding that is needed.”
“I will put forward for the consideration of the Finance Minister and, ultimately, the Executive an increase to £3·594 billion in my Department's overall requirement. That is an uplift of £1 billion that my Department needs to meet its objectives. That will go forward as part of the budgetary process for next year.”
“I thank the Member for that question. My Department's budgetary position, prior to the allocation of additional funding from the financial package that the Treasury announced, was that the resource DEL budget bottom line was £2·582 billion. There were further allocations as part of the financial package. They came to £296·8 million, and that funding is to help with some of the costs over the past financial year and with providing a resolution to the teaching pay awards dispute. <BR /> <BR />Members will know that I have outlined, even in this Question Time, the vast range of budgetary pressures that sit in the Department of Education. That is because of the need that individuals in our constituencies have for support.”
“Yes. I will host a joint education meeting of my counterparts from the devolved Parliaments. Arrangements are being made for that to take place in, I think, April so that we can share best practice. Certainly, I will do that through my engagement with colleagues in other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom.”
“I will engage with and speak to the UK Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, later this week and will have an opportunity not only to highlight some of the issues that we have talked about today but to raise the issues contained in the Safeguarding the Union agreement that my party secured with the UK Government. In it, Members will see a focus on educational matters when it comes to east-west relations. I will press the UK Secretary of State to develop that with me so that we can deliver on the commitments into which the UK Government entered.”
“I am happy to meet schools. There is an extensive list of schools that have asked to meet me, and colleagues in the House have asked me to engage on different projects. It is my intention to be as accessible as possible to Members and across the Department of Education's responsibilities, including by engaging with schools. Bear with me, given the considerable number of requests for me to do so.”
“<BR /> <BR />I will continue to make the case for the necessary funding for the schemes under Fresh Start and all the other schemes in my Department's conventional major capital programme.”
“I cannot give that commitment, but I can give a commitment to my determination to make every representation possible with the United Kingdom Government that they should honour what they announced in 2018 in relation to the increased cost associated with those projects. I will also make an ambitious capital bid, which I outlined in the House, to my Executive colleagues in order to take forward the capital works associated not just with the schemes under Fresh Start but across the totality of my Department. That does not come in year 1; those schools are at different phases of development, and that can be profiled over a longer period, subject to the various processes being complete.”
“My officials are working closely with the Education Authority on a timetable for commencing each provision in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 and associated SEN regulations. The Act places additional duties on the EA and on boards of governors in schools, including the appointment of a learning support coordinator and for each child on the SEN register to have a personal learning plan. Agreed additional funding of £30 million per annum has been identified to support schools to implement the legislative changes, but, due to budget constraints, only £11 million was made available to schools for 2023-24. Unless the full amount is made available in future years, it will negatively impact on the outcomes of children with special educational needs.”
“Following public consultation on the draft new SEN regulations and code of practice in 2021, several changes have been made to both documents to take on board the views of those who responded. The new regulations are in the final stages of drafting and, once all the necessary approvals are in place, they will be presented to the Education Committee before being placed before the Assembly for consideration.”
“I want to provide some reassurance to the House and to parents, and we will touch on this in the debate on the substantive motion on the issue in the House this afternoon. This is a priority for me, and I want to provide the support that is necessary. I have come into office at a time when there are real pressures and challenges in this area, but I am very much committed to doing all that I can to help.”
“I thank the Member for raising that point. In October 2023, following what happened in the previous academic year, a strategic placement group was established in the Department. That group meets every week and has deputy permanent secretary-level engagement. The new post of director of special educational needs placements was created in January 2024. The group meets at the highest levels. It meets about the issue every week, because we recognise that a real challenge is coming in September. <BR /> <BR />I cannot — I wish I could — give a guarantee that every child will have a placement by then. I do not believe that that will be the case, despite the urgency and priority that I place on this in my Department.”
“In addition to targeted engagement with individuals and organisations, a programme of engagement events is being developed for schools, parents and carers, children and young people and wider stakeholders so that they can share their knowledge and experience and be part of co-designing a more agile and improved special educational needs system. <BR /> <BR />Following that engagement phase, an action plan will be developed for implementation. I expect the implementation plan to be ready for September 2024. The overall vision of the end-to-end review is to ensure that all children with special educational needs get the right support delivered by the right people at the right time and in the right place through a high-quality education that is cost-effective and improves outcomes.”
“The Department of Education and the Education Authority embarked on an end-to-end review of special educational needs in early 2023 to examine the entire special educational needs system from a policy perspective and ensure that delivery and outcomes are in line with objectives and policy intent. Phase 1 of the review, which involved scoping the review and establishing appropriate governance structures, is complete. Phase 2 has commenced and primarily focuses on stakeholder engagement to ensure that all decisions and solutions are underpinned by meaningful engagement.”
“That will be dependent on Executive approval and the availability of funding. Options will be set out in the scoping study. Decisions taken on those options will impact on the speed of transition to a standardised session length. Some preschool settings will be in a position to transition to the standardised session length quickly, while others will take much longer. It is likely to be a number of years before standardisation is fully implemented and all funded preschool sessions are moved to 22·5 hours per week.”
“The Member raises a point that has already been highlighted to me by childcare providers, which is that the ability to attract and retain people in the workforce is a challenge. That needs to be taken into account in what we are trying to achieve. There is a childcare strategy stakeholder engagement forum, and I will seek to engage with that, as well as with other organisations that make provision in this area. In providing appropriate childcare, we need to make sure that we have the workforce available to make that provision.”
“The full, detailed costs of standardisation will depend on a range of factors, on some of which decisions have yet to be taken. It will also be informed by the scoping study that is due to report at the end of March. I will engage with Executive colleagues on that in due course. In order to give a figure to the Member, however, we have estimated that standardisation is likely to cost approximately an extra £35 million a year when fully operational, with additional up-front and one-off capital costs of approximately £10 million plus human resource costs. That is on top of the £65 million that the current programme costs annually.”
“The information gathered will be used to inform further decisions and plans for the phased implementation of standardisation for all preschools and to inform the development of costed options for standardisation for the Executive. It is essential that we have input from a wide range of stakeholders as we take forward that work, and I am committed to ongoing and meaningful engagement.”
“There has been significant engagement with stakeholder groups and preschool settings on the standardisation of preschool sessions as part of the wider early learning and childcare strategy engagement. A stakeholder engagement forum was established in autumn 2022 to ensure maximum engagement and to assist with the development of costed options for an early learning and childcare strategy. <BR /> <BR />My Department also commissioned an independent in-depth scoping study to assess the state of readiness of the preschool sector to transition to a standardised 22·5 hours a week. That involved detailed surveys for every funded preschool education setting. The scoping study is nearing completion. In addition, my officials carried out extensive engagement in regard to the amalgamation for standardisation pilot.”
“It is planned that an options paper will be available for my consideration by the end of April. Following consideration of that, I will decide on the scope and priority of an implementation plan in the light of the wider financial pressures and constraints under which the Department is operating.”
“The Member is right to raise those concerns, particularly in areas where there is multiple deprivation for those who come from a more disadvantaged background. There needs to be the support in those areas to give children the opportunities to flourish and reach their full potential that children have in other parts of our society. <BR /> <BR />I share with him that agenda of trying to make sure that resource goes into the areas most in need. If best practice in doing that is in the Republic of Ireland or in another part of the United Kingdom, I will happily look at that and, where I can learn from it, take it forward. I want to make sure that we can get best practice and then get the necessary resources to be able to invest.”
“<BR /> <BR />I want to make sure that we have the capital available for major capital works. As I indicated in that statement to the House, we need to see curriculum-led capital investment and smaller-scale capital projects. We have a huge problem with getting the investment needed in special educational needs provision and in providing the support classes and infrastructure in order to mainstream children who want to go into mainstream education. <BR /> <BR />My ambition is to represent every sector of our education system, and I am putting forward bids to the Executive for that. The challenge will be for my Executive colleagues. Do they share the ambition that I have for every sector of our education system? If they do, I will be able to make significant progress across every aspect of it.”
“On day 1 in the Assembly, I made a ministerial statement to the House that set out my ambitious capital plans for the Department. I said that I would be bidding for £528 million. That is more than double the capital spend that has ever been carried out by the Department of Education. <BR /> <BR />I have an Executive paper for consideration, I trust, this Thursday on the Strule shared campus, which I want to see advanced. We need to get a positive outcome for it at Thursday's meeting. Along with the First Minister and deputy First Minister, I was at the shared campus in Limavady. I am taking forward the Ballycastle shared campus project. A range of integrated schools are progressing as part of the £266 million contractual obligation that I have just outlined.”
“The Department is currently considering the report produced by the independent review panel and is carrying out an internal consultation to inform a way forward. That process includes discussion with key education stakeholders, including other relevant Departments and arm's-length bodies. Following the consultation, officials will produce a paper for my consideration setting out advice on the various recommendations in the report. It is anticipated that the paper will be available by the end of April. I hope to be in a position to respond to the paper before the summer, at which point I should have a clearer understanding of the budget available to my Department.”
“I have asked for an assessment to be provided to me on what is commonly known as the "holiday hunger payment". Members will know that that came to an end on 31 March last year because of budgetary pressures in the Department of Education. I have asked for an assessment of the issue to be provided to me. <BR /> <BR />The issue cuts across other Departments. The Department for Communities, for example, has a role when it comes to the anti-poverty strategy. It is important that we look at this in its totality. I have asked officials to provide me with a report that I will then consider.”
“The Member is right about the fact that some schools are not following the guidance. I should say, however, that a considerable majority are doing so. Obviously, I want all schools to follow it. <BR /> <BR />My officials have carried out significant work to identify possible solutions. A pre-consultation exercise, which engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, has taken place. A public consultation, launching in late spring, will gather stakeholder views on areas such as the need for statutory guidance on school uniforms, the cost and affordability of school uniforms, the use of branded items and sole-supplier arrangements.”
“It does not just apply to school uniforms. Children may be in a multiplicity of sports clubs in a school that have different kits, and, if those kits are branded, they can come to a significant amount of money. Cost should not be a prohibiter in deciding what school a child goes to. We need to be cognisant of that reality for a lot of families across Northern Ireland.”
“The cost of uniforms is one of the issues that I will be engaging further on with the Department. Guidance was provided to schools on that issue. It is one that comes up every year, and I again appeal to schools. If they were following the guidance, legislation would not be necessary in this area. It is a prohibitive factor for some families when they choose the school that children go to.”
“Although it will be dependent on the detail of any change to the eligibility criteria, any changes are likely to be able to be made through the revision of those arrangements, and, as a result, no additional legislation is anticipated. <BR /> <BR />The eligibility criteria for uniform grants are very similar to the criteria for free school meals. They are detailed in the EA's clothing allowance scheme under article 60 of the 1986 Order, and, as with free school meals, it is anticipated that any change in the eligibility criteria will be able to be taken forward as a revision to that scheme and therefore will not require legislative change. I will be considering the next steps of that review in the time ahead and, in doing so, I will take account of the potential budgetary implications of any change in the eligibility criteria.”
“My Department's review of the eligibility criteria for free school meals and uniform grants continues to examine a range of options for increasing the number of children and young people who are able to access free school meals and uniform grants. The options that are being considered include raising the income thresholds that apply to some of the means-tested criteria; the introduction of universal free school meals provision to pupils in some school years; and options that are a combination of the two. The arrangements for the provision of milk, meals and related facilities that were made under the provisions of articles 58 and 59 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 set out the eligibility criteria that apply to the provision of free school meals.”
“If it is beneficial to Members, I am happy to place in the Library the correspondence that I have entered into with the Secretary of State, in which I make it very clear that, if the UK Government are serious, as I am, about shared and integrated education, the announcement that they made in 2018 is no longer fit for purpose and that they need to provide to the Executive the funding that was originally envisaged under Fresh Start. I will continue to make that case, and I hope that others will join me in making it.”
“It was part of the £3·3 billion financial package that the UK Government presented. The capital funding that was still outstanding from Fresh Start for shared and integrated education and shared housing schemes was included in the totality of that package. The ring-fencing that was there for Fresh Start is no longer there. Just to give the House some more figures, it was in 2018 that the totality of all those projects was announced, and it came to £483 million. As of today, that figure sits at £925 million because of the rising costs of inflation in the construction industry. That shows the necessary increase in the quantum of funding. So far, £266 million for those schools has been committed, and some have been completed.”
“That is one of the schools that will continue to advance in the planning phase because, rather than being cancelled as a result of the UK Government and the Secretary of State's position, I have moved it into the conventional major capital programme. However, it is not one of the schools that was contractually committed to. A number of those schools are at different stages, but, because of the action that I have taken, they will continue to advance. That, however, will be subject to the necessary capital becoming available. When they are ready for construction, it will be for the Department of Education and the wider Executive to ensure that the necessary capital is available for those schools and all the others to be taken forward.”
“Those school projects amount to around £266 million, which is contractually committed to by the Treasury. Those will proceed. My action is to make sure that the other schools that are not able to proceed are advanced by their being moved into my Department's conventional major capital programme.”
“I can. The announcement was made at the tail end of last week, and I know that, over the weekend, the Member of Parliament for North Antrim expressed his concern about the proposals for Ballycastle. I can assure the Member and, indeed, the Member of Parliament for North Antrim that Ballycastle shared education campus is proceeding. <BR /> <BR />Let me provide an update for Members. There are nine projects that are contractually committed and that the Treasury has said that it will support: Ulidia Integrated College; New-Bridge Integrated College; Shimna Integrated College; Phoenix Integrated Primary School; Mill Strand Integrated School; Parkhall Integrated College; Rowandale Integrated Primary School; Strangford Integrated College; and the Ballycastle shared education campus.”
“The Member raises the important issue of support staff. It is vital that that business case is finalised. The Department of Finance continues to look at aspects of it. Issues with the business case have been raised by the Education Authority, the Department of Education and the Department of Finance. I have made it clear that I want it to be prioritised so that we can complete the business case. That will allow the Finance Minister to take an informed view, which could feed into the next financial year. I am seeking to progress that, because it is important that the pay and grading review comes to successful conclusion and that we can resolve the issues.”
“Clearly, the leader of the Member's party was wrong when it came to the financial package. We outlined that the financial package was nowhere near sufficient, yet the Alliance Party and others said, "Get back in. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth". I am clear, and my actions are clear: I have moved those schools into the conventional programme — rather than pausing and cancelling them — not because I have let them down, but because the Secretary of State and the UK Government have let them down. Those schools have moved into the conventional programme, they will continue to be advanced, and I am making the case to the Secretary of State for the funding to be provided. I hope that the Member's party and leader will join me in my efforts to try to support those projects rather than play cheap party politics over them.”
“I am not sure where the Member has been. I highlighted on day 1 in office that the budget allocations for my Department were a real cause for concern. Long in advance of devolution even being restored, it was flagged that the way in which the UK Government were treating the Fresh Start money would create difficulties for us. This is not new. <BR /> <BR />I say to the Member that, when it came to the restoration of the institutions and the financial package for getting back to Stormont, his leader stated:”
“I have written to the Secretary of State to set out the strategic importance of the programme for Northern Ireland, and to seek additional capital funding for those projects.”
“Funding of £150 million that was previously earmarked for Fresh Start projects has been placed in the UK Government's financial settlement for the Executive. In addition, construction costs for the Fresh Start projects have risen considerably in recent years. The remaining Fresh Start funding is, therefore, sufficient to cover only those projects that are currently in construction contract. <BR /> <BR />In order to give clarity to the remaining Fresh Start projects that are not yet in contract, I will say that they will now be delivered in my Department's conventional major works programme and will continue to advance in design and planning. I hope that that will provide reassurance to the schools on the immediate way forward.”
“I am happy to come back to that question in due course.”
“Obviously, there are issues around making sure that the information that is provided is there, and, often, it is that inability to garner the appropriate evidence that becomes the challenge. Where there is evidence, the assessment can take place. There are some circumstances where that assessment has maybe not been carried out because of a lack of evidence.”
“The Member raises an important point around having a workforce that is available to carry out these processes, and making sure that there is such a workforce is a challenge. We are aware of that, and, obviously, it is important that we can recruit people into those roles so that they can carry out the functions that they need to.”