The education minister has defended holding a meeting with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) about a proposal to build an Irish language school in east Belfast.

Paul Givan met the LCC, which includes representatives from paramilitary groups the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA), on 24 September.

He has been criticised for meeting “an unrepresentative group, an unelected group” of loyalists.

Sinn Féin assembly member Pat Sheehan made the comments during a meeting of Stormont’s education committee.

Speaking at the opening of an integrated school in county Londonderry, Givan said he meets with many groups about educational underachievement.

He said: “99% of that is all related to how we tackle it within our working class communities.

“Some of the people criticising me for meeting with the LCC are the same political parties who campaigned to release terrorist prisoners into our communities.”

Givan said that the LCC are trying to move society forward and that was the purpose of the meeting.