Dear Department of Education (Northern Ireland),

I note that you have over arching responsibility for various ALBs such as EA. CCMS. CCEA etc

My question is simply to seek clarification on following matters in relation to timely and accurate publication of Council and ARAC minutes as I am sure you agree is necessary to provide transparency in a timely manner and reassure Public of the work and decisions that these bodies carry out.

Specifically therefore can you confirm in relation to meetings of CCEA Council and ARAC in which DE have members attending and in any event are ultimately responsible for the governance why the following has occurred.

1. Minutes of meetings are continually and substantially delayed,

2. After numerous requests to publish, CCEA have failed to publish minutes of Council meeting numbers 149 ( according to minutes of meeting 148 that meeting was due 17 February 2022 which is almost a year ago) as well as minutes of meetings numbered 151,152,153 that took place between February 2022-September 2022 it would appear but they have published minutes of meetings 154 and 155 which took place in September and October 2022

Please provide detailed reasons for non publication of each of this Arms Length Body minutes referred (149,151.152,153) as they are accountable to DE and can you also provide reason for continuous delays and need for requests to publish. CCEA have cited reasons that include minutes not ratified but should this be the case would raise significant concerns to the public for many reasons not least minutes should be a contemporaneous and accurate record of meetings held and if disagreements exist over such then that would require immediate intervention discussion and disclosure on subsequent meetings for which minutes have been published but no reference is made. Also two CEO have in recent Times vacated the role and it is critical that given this state of change that public confidence in governance is as a minimum assured by publication of minutes. CCEA also referred to company secretarial / resource issues and competing demands but the uploading of a pdf minutes is just that, a document upload

I also require confirmation that for the various meetings referred above in which minutes have not been published that all those who attended are aware of non publication, request for publication and reasons cited in response to the FOI request submitted to CCEA and are in agreement that minutes still should not be published. Or has an individual or individuals or indeed DENI instructed that publication should not take place.

I require this clarification that DE are in agreement with CCEA to either not or further delay publication and if that is the case I will ask the media to seek further explanation given the need for transparency and accountability over decisions and matters in relation to examination body for NI.

I write this FOI on basis that I understand DENI have responsibility for various ALB including CCEA and presumably would be receiving copies of such minutes or immediately intervening if matters arise that prevented ratification. I therefore ask you to Publish same should CCEA fail to do so immediately and to confirm what policy is in place regarding timing over publication of future minutes

Yours faithfully,

Mr Manning