To ask the Minister of Education for an update on his Department's engagement with Ards and North Down Borough Council on how repairs to the floor of Portaferry Sports Centre, operating out of St Columba's College, will be progressed.

A stakeholder meeting involving St Columba’s College, the school trustee, Ards and North Down Borough Council and the Department of Education was held on 8 November 2024. At that meeting, it was agreed that the school should submit an unavoidable minor works application to the Department, to enable the required works to the sports centre flooring to be scoped and costed for delivery.

The application was subsequently received from St Columba’s College on 11 November 2024 and has been issued to the Education Authority for scoping. Subject to the necessary business case approvals, the project will be considered for delivery alongside other competing priorities.