Vol. 446 No. 1
133 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Education if she will give details of the lease which the trustees of a national school agreed with her as a condition of State funding; the normal length of such a lease; and the number and proportion of schools in respect of which such leases have now lapsed or expired. [1680/94]
All national schools which are vested in trustees are the subject of leases pursuant to the terms of the Leases for Schools (Ireland) Act, 1881.
The condition on which State funding is provided is that the premises continue to be used for national school purposes for the duration of the lease. In default of this requirement the question of the refund of State grants arises. In this regard I have already indicated to the Deputy that I am in consultation with the managerial authorities in order to put in place a structure for dealing in an orderly and transparent way with the various issues which arise when a school ceases to be used for national school purposes in advance of the expiry of the lease. The duration of the lease is normally 99 years.
The number and proportion of schools in respect of which leases have now lapsed or expired is not readily available in my Department.
