To ask the Minister of Education whether any consideration has been given to a developing a dedicated rural youth strategy.

My department’s current policy for youth work in education, Priorities for Youth, includes a commitment that targeted provision will be supported to help meet the needs of specific groups of young people, including those living in rural communities. There is no evidence to suggest a dedicated rural youth strategy is required.

The Education Authority has the statutory responsibility for the provision of youth services. To support rural youth work, the Education Authority Youth Service (EAYS) has developed guidance, entitled ‘Working with Young People in Rural Areas’, along with key youth work providers across Northern Ireland in both statutory and voluntary settings. The EAYS also held two stakeholder engagement events to support the development of rural youth work.

EAYS also actively engages young people from rural areas when it develops its Regional Youth Development Plan (RYDP). The latest survey undertaken as part of the RYDP for 2026-2029 included survey responses from children and young people, 30% of whom were from rural areas.