To ask the Minister of Education for his assessment of the process for allocating Minor Capital Works.

Mr Givan

My Department is operating within an extremely constrained capital budget. Within those budgetary constraints, minor works are restricted to ministerial priority 1, which refers to those works that meet inescapable statutory requirements such as health and safety, fire protection, safeguarding and statutory obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Schemes that meet those requirements are prioritised for delivery. Timescales for delivery will vary depending on issues such as their state of readiness, including whether there is a need for planning approval; the logistics of delivery, because, for example, some projects can only be delivered when pupils are not on site, limiting the window for delivery to holiday periods, which are typically the summer months; and the availability of funding — some small-scale projects can be mopped up at the end of the financial year, if funding is available. Unlike major works or school enhancement programme projects, minor works projects are initiated almost daily in order to address inescapable concerns. The minor works programme therefore needs to include a degree of flexibility so that it can respond to emerging priorities.

Mr Givan

A lot of the questions on issues with confidence are being raised by Members who created a false narrative and inaccuracies. Where there is a lack of confidence in the process, therefore, that is an issue for the Members who created it. I am absolutely confident in the processes that have been followed, so the answer to the Member's question is no, I will not commit to a review. It is a matter for others to do that, if they feel the need to review their processes. The Education Committee can carry out a review of those aspects, but the Member has asked me to initiate a review based on a false premise, and I do not have the resources available to waste my time on that.

Mr Buckley

The Minister is absolutely right to highlight the fact that the biggest undermining of confidence comes from false information from democratically elected Members in the Chamber. Will the Minister confirm again that the works are being allocated to priority 1 cases and, perhaps, set out further context for why that is the case?

Mr Givan

I can confirm that it is around priority 1 cases. I outlined the reason for that, which is to meet inescapable statutory requirements such as health and safety, fire protection, safeguarding and statutory obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act. Projects are also progressing to provide the minimum accommodation required to implement approved development proposals. As Members will appreciate, the Department is operating within an extremely constrained capital budget. Decisions have necessarily been taken to direct available investment to keep schools open, keep pupils safe and provide education access for the most vulnerable. I very much want to fund more than just the school that Mr Tennyson referred to. Many Members of the House bring me to their constituency to advocate on behalf of their schools. We can only spend what is available. That is dependent on the Budget allocation that my Department receives. Therefore, I encourage Members to advocate on behalf of the Department of Education and help us to put that funding into our school community rather than into a new canteen for prisoners in Magilligan. I would sooner have the funding spent in our schools. That is where the priority should be.

Mr Speaker

Question 10 has been withdrawn.