NI Executive to be questioned by Committee of MPs in Stormont
Westminster’s Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will be in Belfast this week for panel discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive discussing the Committee’s ongoing work examining renewable energy and integrated education.
Meeting details
Renewable energy and net zero
MPs will question senior officials at the Department for the Economy (DfE) on its plans to introduce a government-backed renewables support scheme. The Committee has heard that issues with planning approval, lack of a renewable support scheme, and limited grid capacity have exacerbated delays in developing renewable energy infrastructure and halted progress towards net zero targets.
Questions are likely to focus on the DfE’s plans for a renewable support scheme and opportunities for cooperation with Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
Integrated education
On a separate panel, Education Minister Paul Givan MLA is set to give evidence to the Committee on how the Department of Education’s work supports and develops integrated education.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement identifies integrated education as an “essential aspect of the reconciliation process”. MPs are likely to probe the Department on its plans to measure the implications for society of schools where children of different backgrounds, religious beliefs and abilities are formally integrated.