To ask the Minister of Education to detail how he will ensure that funding allocated to special schools in order to provide summer schemes will be secured and delivered in a timely fashion ahead of summer 2026, to allow schools to appropriately plan and recruit staff for the schemes.

I fully recognise the importance of providing clarity to schools in relation to this matter at the earliest opportunity. However, as you are aware, department budgets for 2026-27 and beyond have not yet been agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Department of Finance recently commissioned an exercise to assess budget requirements for the periods 2026/27 to 2028/29. My Department has submitted its return and is awaiting the outcome of this exercise.

Similar to recent financial years, I anticipate a significant resource overcommitment next year and beyond. Consequently, any additional funding required to provide summer schemes for our children with special educational needs will need to be considered alongside other significant funding pressures my Department will face.

I remain committed to advocating for investment in Education. Given the scale of pressures faced by the Northern Ireland Block Grant, the Executive needs to continue to make the case to HM Treasury for additional funding.