To ask the Minister of Education (i) to outline the progress that has been made towards the formation of an integrated education strategy within six months of 26 April 2022, in line with the requirements of the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022; (ii) for her assessment of the challenges of doing so; (iii) to detail any timeline she has for its creation and publication; and (iv) to detail the potential legal, political and educational repercussions of failing to meet the six-month deadline.

I am aware of the requirement under section 9 of the Integrated Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 for the Department to prepare, publish and maintain the integrated education strategy. I should however clarify that this strategy is to be published within six months of 26 October 2022 – the date the Act comes into operation – not 26 April 2022 which is the date it received Royal Assent.

A key challenge presented by the requirements of the Act is the impact on resources within the Department of Education, staff resources and the financial cost to deliver the requirements of the Act within a very constrained education budget. It is also worth noting the range of consultation requirements associated with various sections of the Act, including for the action plan to be included in the integrated education strategy. This places additional time constraints on the statutory timescale for publication of the integrated education strategy.

My Department is currently engaged with the Departmental Solicitor’s Office on a range of matters requiring legal clarity, and is working to redeploy sufficient staff to undertake the work required to implement the Act in its entirety.