Committee for Education

The Committee for Education is a Northern Ireland Assembly committee established to advise, assist and scrutinise the work of the Department of Education and Minister of Education (currently Paul Givan) on matters within his or her responsibility as a minister. The committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.^[1]

2022–2027 Assembly

The committee will meet for the first time in the 2022–2027 Assembly on 14 February 2024.

Party		Member[2]	Constituency
	Alliance	Nick Mathison MLA (Chairperson)	Strangford
	Sinn Féin	Pat Sheehan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Belfast West
	Sinn Féin	Danny Baker MLA	Belfast West
	DUP	David Brooks MLA	Belfast East
	DUP	Cheryl Brownlee MLA	East Antrim
	UUP	Robbie Butler MLA	Lagan Valley
	SDLP	Cara Hunter MLA	East Londonderry
	Sinn Féin	Cathy Mason MLA	South Down
	Alliance	Kate Nicholl MLA	Belfast South

2017–2022 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2017–2022 Assembly on 22 January 2020.^[3]

Party		Member[4]	Constituency
	Alliance	Chris Lyttle MLA (Chairperson)	Belfast East
	Sinn Féin	Karen Mullan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Foyle
	DUP	Maurice Bradley MLA	East Londonderry
	UUP	Robbie Butler MLA	Lagan Valley
	DUP	William Humphrey MLA	Belfast North
	Sinn Féin	Catherine Kelly MLA	West Tyrone
	SDLP	Daniel McCrossan MLA	West Tyrone
	SDLP	Justin McNulty MLA	Newry and Armagh
	DUP	Robin Newton MLA	Belfast East

Changes 2017–2022

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
3 November 2020		Catherine Kelly MLA (Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone	→		Nicola Brogan MLA (Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone
3 November 2020		Karen Mullan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Foyle	→		Pat Sheehan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
21 June 2021		Maurice Bradley MLA (DUP)	East Londonderry	→		Diane Dodds MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann
		William Humphrey MLA (DUP)	Belfast North			Harry Harvey MLA (DUP)	Strangford

Source:^[5]

2016–2017 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly on 1 June 2016.^[6]

Party		Member[7]	Constituency
	Sinn Féin	Barry McElduff MLA (Chairperson)	West Tyrone
	Alliance	Chris Lyttle MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Belfast East
	UUP	Rosemary Barton MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	DUP	David Hilditch MLA	East Antrim
	DUP	Carla Lockhart MLA	Upper Bann
	DUP	Phillip Logan MLA	North Antrim
	SDLP	Colin McGrath MLA	South Down
	DUP	Maurice Morrow MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	UUP	Sandra Overend MLA	Mid Ulster
	Sinn Féin	Catríona Ruane MLA	South Down

Changes 2016–2017

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
20 June 2016		Caitríona Ruane MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down	→		Jennifer McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
6 December 2016		Jennifer McCann MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West	→	Vacant

2011–2016 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2011–2016 Assembly on 25 May 2011.^[8]

Party		Member[9]	Constituency
	DUP	Mervyn Storey MLA (Chairperson)	North Antrim
	UUP	David McNarry MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Strangford
	Sinn Féin	Michaela Boyle MLA	West Tyrone
	DUP	Jonathan Craig MLA	Lagan Valley
	UUP	Jo-Anne Dobson MLA	Upper Bann
	Sinn Féin	Phil Flanagan MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	DUP	Brenda Hale MLA	Lagan Valley
	Alliance	Trevor Lunn MLA	Lagan Valley
	DUP	Michelle McIlveen MLA	Strangford
	Sinn Féin	Daithí McKay MLA	North Antrim
	SDLP	Conall McDevitt MLA	Belfast South

Changes 2011–2016

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
31 January 2012		David McNarry MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	Strangford	→		Mike Nesbitt MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	Strangford
17 April 2012		Mike Nesbitt MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	Strangford	→		Danny Kinahan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	South Antrim
23 April 2012		Conall McDevitt MLA (SDLP)	Belfast South	→		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down
10 September 2012		Phil Flanagan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	→		Daithí McKay MLA (Sinn Féin)	North Antrim
		Chris Hazzard MLA (Sinn Féin)	South Down			Pat Sheehan MLA (Sinn Féin)	Belfast West
16 September 2013		Brenda Hale MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley	→		Michelle McIlveen MLA (DUP)	Strangford
		Robin Newton MLA (DUP)	Belfast East			Stephen Moutray MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann
2 December 2013		Michaela Boyle MLA (Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone	→		Maeve McLaughlin MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle
4 July 2014		Jo-Anne Dobson MLA (UUP)	Upper Bann	→		Sandra Overend MLA (UUP)	Mid Ulster
24 September 2014		Mervyn Storey MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	North Antrim	→		Michelle McIlveen MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	Strangford
6 October 2014		Stephen Moutray MLA (DUP)	Upper Bann	→		Nelson McCausland MLA (DUP)	Belfast North
17 November 2014		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down	→		Colum Eastwood MLA (SDLP)	Foyle
8 December 2014		Colum Eastwood MLA (SDLP)	Foyle	→		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down
15 June 2015		Danny Kinahan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	South Antrim	→		Sandra Overend MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP)	Mid Ulster
30 June 2015		Sandra Overend MLA (UUP)	Mid Ulster	→		Ross Hussey MLA (UUP)	West Tyrone
14 September 2015		Ross Hussey MLA (UUP)	West Tyrone	→		Danny Kennedy MLA (UUP)	Newry and Armagh
8 February 2016		Seán Rogers MLA (SDLP)	South Down	→		Dolores Kelly MLA (SDLP)	Upper Bann

2007–2011 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 2007–2011 Assembly on 18 May 2007.^[10]

Party		Member[11]	Constituency
	DUP	Sammy Wilson MLA (Chairperson)	East Antrim
	SDLP	Dominic Bradley MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Newry and Armagh
	SDLP	Mary Bradley MLA	Foyle
	Sinn Féin	Paul Butler MLA	Lagan Valley
	DUP	Jeffrey Donaldson MLA	Lagan Valley
	Alliance	Trevor Lunn MLA	Lagan Valley
	UUP	Basil McCrea MLA	Lagan Valley
	DUP	Michelle McIlveen MLA	Strangford
	Sinn Féin	Michelle O'Neill MLA	Mid Ulster
	UUP	Ken Robinson MLA	East Antrim
	DUP	Mervyn Storey MLA	North Antrim

Changes 2007–2011

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
31 March 2008		Jeffrey Donaldson MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley	→		Nelson McCausland MLA (DUP)	Belfast North
21 May 2008		Paul Butler MLA (Sinn Féin)	Lagan Valley	→		John O'Dowd MLA (Sinn Féin)	Upper Bann
10 June 2008		Sammy Wilson MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	East Antrim	→		Mervyn Storey MLA (Chairperson, DUP)	North Antrim
17 June 2008		Sammy Wilson MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→		Edwin Poots MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley
26 January 2009		Ken Robinson MLA (UUP)	East Antrim	→		Tom Elliott MLA (UUP)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
22 June 2009		Tom Elliott MLA (UUP)	Fermanagh and South Tyrone	→		John McCallister MLA (UUP)	South Down
14 September 2009		Nelson McCausland MLA (DUP)	Belfast North	→		Alastair Ross MLA (DUP)	East Antrim
		Edwin Poots MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley			Jonathan Craig MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley
9 November 2010		John McCallister MLA (UUP)	South Down	→		Reg Empey MLA (UUP)	Belfast East
14 April 2010		Dominic Bradley MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP)	Newry and Armagh	→		David Hilditch MLA (Deputy Chairperson, DUP)	East Antrim
		David Hilditch MLA (DUP)	East Antrim			Dominic Bradley MLA (SDLP)	Newry and Armagh
14 September 2010		Alastair Ross MLA (DUP)	East Antrim	→		Jonathan Craig MLA (DUP)	Lagan Valley

1998-2003 Assembly

The committee met for the first time in the 1998-2003 Assembly on 30 November 1999.^[12]

Party		Member[13]	Constituency
	UUP	Danny Kennedy MLA (Chairperson)	Newry and Armagh
	DUP	Sammy Wilson MLA (Deputy Chairperson)	Belfast East
	Alliance	Eileen Bell MLA	North Down
	UUP	Tom Benson MLA	Strangford
	SDLP	John Fee MLA	Newry and Armagh
	SDLP	Tommy Gallagher MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	DUP	Oliver Gibson MLA	West Tyrone
	SDLP	Patricia Lewsley MLA	Lagan Valley
	Sinn Féin	Barry McElduff MLA	West Tyrone
	Sinn Féin	Gerry McHugh MLA	Fermanagh and South Tyrone
	UUP	Ken Robinson MLA	East Antrim

Changes 1998-2003

Date	Outgoing member and party		Constituency	→	New member and party		Constituency
24 December 2000		Tom Benson MLA (UUP)	Strangford	→	Vacant
29 January 2001	Vacant			→		Tom Hamilton MLA (UUP)	Strangford
21 May 2002		Patricia Lewsley MLA (SDLP)	Lagan Valley	→		Alban Maginness MLA (SDLP)	Belfast North
1 July 2002		Barry McElduff MLA (Sinn Féin)	West Tyrone	→		Mitchel McLaughlin MLA (Sinn Féin)	Foyle