To ask the Minister of Education, following the implementation of the statutory rule 2026/12 amending the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979, whether his Department now has the power to require all private education tutors working with children to go through the Access NI process.

The Department of Justice has advised that the Statutory Rule 2026/12 (SR), which came into effect on 17 February 2026 and amends the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979, effectively provides a means through which such self-employed individuals can obtain an Enhanced check and, upon request, provide it to, for example, a parent for scrutiny prior to commencing a private tutoring arrangement.

As I have previously noted the responsibility for the regulation of the private tutoring sector does not sit with my department, however, officials are currently examining how this issue is addressed across other UK jurisdictions.