Education Minister Paul Givan has redirected £5 million of a £6 million allocation intended for Irish-medium school accommodation and facilities to other school building projects.

In December 2025, Finance Minister John O'Dowd allocated the money to the Department of Education from Stormont's monitoring round, which reallocates unspent departmental funds. The department had bid for the funding for Irish-language projects through Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta (InG), the trust fund for Irish-medium education.

After receiving the funds, officials secured Department of Finance approval to use project bank accounts to spend the money on existing school infrastructure elsewhere. Minister Givan approved the move, arguing it represented better value for public money. As a result, only £1 million was allocated to InG.

In a six-page written statement to the Assembly, Mr Givan said the funding was not specifically ring-fenced. He explained that his officials submitted the bid at speed because InG had longer-term needs and could use end-year flexibility as a third-party trust fund. He added that he had to balance competing demands and InG is not a body directly under his department.

Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan challenged the minister's decision. He said the department bid for £6 million specifically for Irish-medium accommodation and facilities, and the finance minister announced it on that basis. Mr Sheehan argued there is no ambiguity over the allocation's purpose and that the redirection raises serious questions. He noted that given Mr Givan's record on the Irish language, many will view the move as political rather than financial.

That record includes the 2016 decision, when Mr Givan was communities minister, to cut the Líofa bursary scheme. The scheme, created by Sinn Féin, funded young people to attend summer colleges in the Gaeltacht. The cut sparked a major controversy and was followed a month later by Sinn Féin collapsing the power-sharing executive.

Separately, Micheál Mac Giolla Ghunna, principal of Coláiste Feirste, told Stormont's education committee that Irish-medium students face limited A-Level choices because of teacher shortages. He said not enough is being done to meet their needs.

Mr Givan stated he remains committed to supporting Irish-medium education within available resources and in the context of competing budgetary priorities.