To ask the Minister of Education what discussions his Department has had with pre-school advisory groups, since September 2014, to assess the need for maintaining and increasing pre-school provision.

The Pre-School Education Advisory Groups (PEAG) of each Region in the Education Authority (EA) are responsible for ensuring that there is adequate pre-school provision in local areas.

The Department and the PEAGs maintain regular contact throughout the pre-school admissions process: this includes discussion of the PEAGs’ annual assessment of need; regular reviews of progress as the process moves forward and consideration of how to address emerging pressures.

In calculating projected need for places, the PEAGs plan on the basis of 92% of the birth rate of the relevant pre-school cohort which represents approximately the percentage of eligible children who apply. It is not possible to match demand for places exactly with supply for a range of reasons including the- non compulsory nature of pre-school education and variations in how parents express their preferences, for example to accommodate childcare arrangements.