Minister considered directing EA to accept new head

Paul Givan appointed Richard Pengelly to be head of the EA for up to three years

The Education Minister Paul Givan considered directing the Education Authority (EA) to accept his proposed candidate for chief executive.

That is according to notes of a meeting between Mr Givan and the EA chair Barry Mulholland.

The minister later appointed Richard Pengelly to head the EA for up to three years on an interim basis.

Mr Pengelly was seconded from his post as Permanent Secretary at the Department of Justice.

Richard Pengelly is the husband of the deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly

Prior to his role at the Department of Justice, Mr Pengelly had been Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health.

He is the husband of the Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly.

A majority of members of the EA Board eventually agreed to the Education Minister's proposal at a meeting on 21 March.

BBC News NI previously revealed that some EA board members had opposed Mr Givan's plan.

The EA spends the bulk of Northern Ireland's education budget of over £2.5bn.

It is responsible for funding schools, staff, transport, meals, maintenance and support for children with special educational needs (SEN).

But the body has found itself in the headlines a number of times over cuts to its budget and delays in providing support for children with SEN.

A major review in 2022 also said that the EA inflicted too many "own goals" and was driven by "process" rather than the needs of pupils and schools.

'Avoid further reputational damage'

Mr Givan held a meeting in early March with the chair of the EA board, Barry Mulholland, and a board member to discuss the interim chief executive post.

Notes of that meeting record that Mr Mulholland had said that some senior roles at the EA were difficult to fill as "the current salary offered was too low."

Mr Givan disagreed with that view.

The minister said that senior EA posts were difficult to fill "because of the reputational damage caused by successive reviews which suggested that the EA was not functioning as it should," according to the notes.

"The Minister suggested that he had legal advice that he could direct the EA to accept his proposed appointment," the notes record.

"He would prefer the EA board to agree to the proposed appointment as this would avoid further reputational damage to the EA and DE and provide a positive context for progress."

Earlier in the meeting Mr Mulholland had said that the EA board were "challenged" by the minister's proposal to appoint an interim chief executive.

In an earlier meeting held in February, Mr Givan had asked the board to pause their own internal recruitment process for the role.

Mr Pengelly was eventually seconded to his post as interim chief executive of the EA for up to three years on 15 April.

The department said he had "the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges currently faced by the EA, and a proven track record of working with public sector boards and senior leaders to deliver front-line services".

The EA previously said a majority of the board had agreed to Mr Pengelly's appointment "having received the necessary assurances, including sign off by the head of the Civil Service, and agreement having been reached on the terms of the secondment."