He was speaking following revelations that Department of Education officials recommended he decline the invitation to meet with the group, who are known to represent the views of those involved in proscribed organisations.

The Strangford MLA has said: “The LCC is an umbrella organisation for active paramilitary groups, and as such should have absolutely no place when it comes to decision-making over the education of our children.

“That the Education Minister has met with the LCC in this capacity at all is cause enough for concern. It is particularly galling, however, that it has been at the expense of other organisations - organisations who have defined and well-established priorities and concerns - who’ve had their meeting requests declined when ‘it is not entirely clear what specific issues [the LCC] would wish to discuss’ when their request was made.

“I can only concur with the view of his own department officials who themselves advised he decline the invitation, and question his judgement in choosing to take the meeting anyway. Particularly, given the lack of clarity in his response to my question around what consideration had been taken in determining the extent to which the LCC represents the views of those involved in organised criminality before accepting the meeting.

“Questions also remain around the Communities Minister and the circumstances surrounding his own decision to also meet with the LCC, as previously raised by my party colleague Sian Mulholland, which must be answered.”