To ask the Minister of Education for his assessment of the recommendation in the Independent Review of Education for a single early intervention and learner support agency.

In my statement to the Assembly on 21 October 2024 I set out my response to the Independent Review of Education. Alongside my statement I also provided my Departments response to the report’s recommendations.

In relation to facilitating learner centred interventions, under which a single early intervention and learner support agency was suggested, my Department accepts the need to review and improve service delivery.

Education services will be reformed through the outworkings of the End-to-End Reviews of Special Educational Needs and School Improvement which focus on the development of high quality, cost-effective services. These reviews will shortly bring forward recommendations on how delivery models can be more responsive, agile and customer focused. Service delivery improvements will be achieved initially through re-configuration and re-focusing of services delivered by the Education Authority and other education bodies.

Progress will be closely monitored and, if necessary, more fundamental structural change will be implemented.