Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill

As Introduced

CONTENTS

1. Irish-medium education workforce plan
2. Commencement and short title

A Bill to require the Department of Education to prepare a workforce plan in respect of Irish-medium education.

Be it enacted by being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and assented to by His Majesty as follows:

Irish-medium education workforce plan

1.—(1) After Article 89 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (Irish-medium education) insert—

“Irish-medium education workforce plan

89ZA.—(1) The Department must prepare and then publish a workforce plan in respect of Irish-medium education within 12 months of this Article coming into operation.

(2) The Department must keep the workforce plan under review and publish a revised workforce plan at intervals of not more than five years.

(3) The Minister of Education must lay a workforce plan before the Assembly as soon as possible after it has been published.

(4) In preparing a workforce plan, the Department must consult with—

(a) persons representative of—

(i) schools providing Irish-medium education;
(ii) teachers providing Irish-medium education;
(iii) pupils receiving Irish-medium education;
(iv) parents of pupils receiving Irish-medium education;

(b) Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta, or any successor to that body; and

(c) such other persons as it thinks fit.

(5) In preparing a workforce plan, the Department must take into account—

(a) current and future expected demands upon the workforce;
(b) the sufficiency of the workforce to meet those demands;
(c) recruitment, retention and development of the workforce;
(d) the differing functions of persons within the workforce;
(e) the types of schools providing Irish-medium education.

(6) A workforce plan must set out measurable targets against which its effectiveness may be assessed.

(7) Within 18 months of laying a workforce plan before the Assembly, the Minister for Education must—

(a) publish a report on the implementation of that plan; and
(b) lay that report before the Assembly as soon as possible after it has been published”.

(2) In Article 89(4) of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (meaning of Irish-medium education), for “this article” substitute “this Article and Article 89ZA”.

Commencement and short title

2.—(1) This Act comes into operation on the day after it receives Royal Assent.

(2) This Act may be cited as the Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Act (Northern Ireland) 2026.