AQW 40644/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 16/02/2026
Answered On Date: 25/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education, pursuant to AQW 39020/22-27, whether the Education Authority employ their own in-house legal services for representation at Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals.

Answer:

The Education Authority (EA) has advised that it does have an inhouse legal function, EA Solicitors, which represents the Authority in certain matters before the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST).

However, appeals relating to an EA decision not to carry out a Statutory Assessment are managed separately by a dedicated SENDIST and Correspondence Team within the EA’s Children and Young People’s Services Directorate. This work is not undertaken by the EA’s inhouse legal team.