AQW 38042/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 13/01/2026
Answered On Date: 09/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 30309/22-27, whether a new system for delivering low value maintenance works in schools will be in place by end of January 2026.

Answer:

The Education Authority (EA) continues to work on the development of a pilot scheme to facilitate the procurement of low value maintenance works. This approach seeks to balance local flexibility for schools with the need for strong governance, compliance and value for money across the school estate. The development work includes consideration of tax regulations, including the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). It is now anticipated that this pilot will be operational towards the end of the current school year.

The pilot will need to be fully evaluated before any decisions are taken on a wider rollout across the EA school estate.