To ask the Minister of Education , given it is one of his Department's arm's-length bodies, to outline the oversight mechanisms used for the Education Authority .

A governance and accountability framework is in place between my Department and the Education Authority (EA) to ensure that the responsibilities placed on the Department under Managing Public Money NI are adhered to.

The EA’s operating framework which covers the conditions under which public funds are paid and how the EA is to be held to account for its performance, is set out in the EA’s Management Statement and Financial Memorandum which was drawn up by DE in consultation with the EA and approved by the Department of Finance. Within that framework a number of measures and controls are in place to provide the Department with assurances in relation to accountability and performance management, arrangements for strategic and business planning, budget allocations and financial monitoring, governance and accountability reviews, risk management and audit and risk assurance.