Vol. 409 No. 8
64 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Education the reason for the change in the ruling on the question of insurance of national school buildings which is now payable from capitation grants, but in the previous version of the management board rules was a matter for the school owners; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this change has had major financial implications for boards; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Rule 19 of the rules for national schools prescribes that the manager must arrange that the school premises are insured. Following the setting up of boards of management in 1975, the Rules of Procedure and Constitution of Boards, published for the first time in 1976, distinguished between functions of the board and functions of the trustees. Section 22 of this document contained the ruling referred to by the Deputy.
Appeal was made to the Department on behalf of management authorities that this provision effectively constitutes a change in existing practice. The Department re-examined the matter with particular reference to the role of the trustees, Rule 19 of the Rules for National Schools and the most appropriate method of payment and decided to accept the appeal.
This was conveyed to management authorities by Circular 10/80 of 1980. This position was then in turn included in the revised edition of the Boards of Management: Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure, published in 1985, which states: "under the terms of the lease, the trustees guarantee that the premises and contents are insured against fire and tempest. The cost of this insurance may be charged to the school account".
