Stormont education minister accuses UK Government of ‘letting down’ schools

Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan speaks with the media outside Parliament Buildings in Belfast. He welcomed the statement by teachers’ unions that they have put on hold planned strike dates ahead of fresh talks on pay with employers, which are due to start next week. Picture date: Tuesday February 13, 2024.

Northern Ireland’s education minister has accused the UK Government of “letting down” schools by withdrawing funding for new buildings.

Funds for new buildings at a number of integrated schools and shared education campuses were ringfenced in the Fresh Start Agreement in 2015.

Last week a Department of Education spokesperson said that £150 million of that funding is now no longer available for the schools.

On Monday, Education Minister Paul Givan said the UK Government had put some of the Fresh Start funding into the financial settlement for the recently restored devolved government at Stormont.

Nine new build projects that are currently in a construction contract to be completed will continue.

In a letter to Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, Mr Givan said 11 of the 28 Fresh Start projects, including nine integrated schools and two shared education campuses, are without funding to proceed to construction.

On Monday, Mr Givan told MLAs that 10 schools: Millennium Integrated Primary School; Forge Integrated Primary School; Bangor Central Integrated Primary School; Priory Integrated College; Fort Hill Integrated College and Primary School; Slemish Integrated College; Hazelwood Integrated College; Integrated College Dungannon; Drumragh Integrated College; and Brookeborough Shared Education Campus; will be placed within his department’s conventional major works programme to continue in planning

Mr Givan said he wrote to Mr Heaton-Harris to impress upon him the importance of the projects, and will also make a bid to the Executive for funding to complete the projects.

He said £150 million of funding 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 only to cover those projects currently in construction contract,” he told MLAs.

“To give clarity to the remaining Fresh Start projects not yet in contract, they will now be delivered within my department’s conventional major works programme and will continue to advance in design and planning.

“I hope this will provide reassurance to the schools on the immediate way forward.

Stormont Assembly — Mr Givan wrote to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (PA)

“I have also written to the Secretary of State to set out the strategic importance of this programme for Northern Ireland and to seek additional capital funding for these projects.”

Mr Givan insisted he had highlighted the situation was a “real cause for concern” from his first day in office earlier this month, and that the treatment of the Fresh Start funding was flagged before devolved government was restored.

He went on: “I am clear and my actions are clear. I have moved these schools into the conventional programme rather than pausing, rather than cancelling them, not because I’ve let them down but because the Secretary of State and the UK Government has let them down.

“They’ve moved into the conventional programme, they’ll continue to be advanced and I am making the case to the Secretary of State for the funding to be provided.”