To ask the Minister of Education what assistance is available to support schools to travel to Parliament Buildings for an official visit.

Mr Givan (The Minister of Education)

While I fully recognise the educational value inherent in children visiting Parliament Buildings with their schools, unfortunately, neither my Department nor the Education Authority (EA), as the funding authority for schools, provide specific additional schools funding for travel or lodgings for extracurricular activities. If a school wishes to bring its pupils to Parliament Buildings, it is a matter for the school to organise and fund that through its delegated budget or, possibly, through fundraising events and/or parental contributions. I know that the Member will appreciate that the education sector continues to face extensive unavoidable cost pressures and rising service demands associated with delivering my Department's statutory and policy obligations. My priority will be to provide stability and take every action possible to protect education funding and the front-line services within my Department's statutory remit.

Mr Givan

Obviously, there are various means by which funding can be raised, as I referenced in my original response to the Member. General funding is administered through the common funding formula, and, again, that is touched on in the independent review of education. That review, which was in place, has not been taken forward. However, this is one of the areas that I will look at when I consider a report from my Department on the independent review of education, where it touches on funding through that funding scheme. The Member rightly raises the issue of the financial pressures on schools. I want more funding per pupil to be attributed to each school. I am putting that forward as part of our bid. That way, we can get more schools into surplus whereby they can fund visits to this place. I encourage schools to come to this place to learn about it. I first visited this place when I was at school. The late Members Billy Bell and Ivan Davis and, indeed, you, Mr Speaker, were here at the time. That is where I got a taste for being involved in front-line politics in the Assembly. I encourage educational visits. We in the Assembly have an excellent Education Service that provides a lot of support for the schools that visit, and I certainly recommend that schools come here.

Mrs Erskine

The Minister mentioned parental contributions. Obviously, we have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is difficult for families at the minute. Where does the Minister stand on some schools asking for voluntary contributions from parents?

Mr Givan

Under current legislation, voluntary contributions are a matter for boards of governors of schools. While the collection of voluntary contributions is permissible, any request for that needs to make it clear that there is no obligation to contribute, and any registered pupil at the school should be treated no differently according to whether their parents or guardians have made a contribution. It is permissible, but, obviously, there are certain parameters with which such a request needs to comply.

Mr McNulty

In relation to funding for schools, does the Minister agree that suspending the school enhancement programme works at St Mary's Primary School, Barr, after £350,000 has already been spent will be a waste of his Department's limited financial resources? Will he agree to meet me and the St Mary's school leadership to discuss the progress of that much-needed project?

Mr Speaker

I am not sure that that is on the topic, but I will ask the Minister to respond.

Mr Givan

If the Assembly wants to pay for school enhancement projects as part of its visitation programme, that will be welcome. I doubt that it would go too far, mind you. The Member raises an important issue around capital funding. On day 1 of this Assembly, I made a ministerial statement on the need for increased expenditure in our capital programme. The enhanced programmes are often smaller than the major capital ones. They should be supported. That is why, as part of my budgetary process, I have put forward a bid for well over £500 million to fund capital schemes. That is a live discussion that the Executive will need to consider as part of the budgetary process.

Mr Speaker

Question 2 has been withdrawn.