Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to the Fresh Start Agreement funding programme.

The UK Government remains committed to the Fresh Start Agreement and we will continue to invest and support educational integration in Northern Ireland as an essential aspect of reconciliation.

The Fresh Start agreement in 2015 made provision for funding for integrated and shared education over 10 years. As that funding was due to expire at the end of 2024-25, the decision to remove the ring-fence on £150m of Fresh Start Agreement funding was made by the UK Government on taking a coherent look across its existing funding in Northern Ireland. We came to a considered position in response to the challenging budgetary position faced by the Northern Ireland Executive.

This will enable the Executive to prioritise funding on public service transformation. Integrated education is a vital element of that.