Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 July 2022
353. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the precise details of the charging lease in respect of a school (details supplied); if the charging lease included a provision for present and future advances or a like provision; the amount that she decided to forgo to the Exchequer by agreeing not to seek repayment of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35884/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Charging Lease was entered into on 17 November 1955 between the lessor, the diocesan trust, a number of trustees and the Minister for Education for 99 years. The purpose of the lease was for the provision of part capital funding by the Minister for building and erecting a national school. Under the lease my predecessor as Minister for Education had approved funding of £5,180 pounds sterling. This approximates to a value of €6,579. The lease also makes reference to such further sums which the Minister may make available for additions or improvements to the said school. From the records available to my Department there is no record of other capital funding of any significant amounts being provided to the school.
My Department would not seek repayment of the monies provided as long as the building continued to be used for the provision of national school education for the duration of the lease. The long standing practice of my Department when a request for surrender of the lease in advance of the term is to allow credit for the period of the lease that has already elapsed and calculate the balance of the monies remaining. In this case my Department calculated this as €2,259 as 65 years of the 99 year lease had expired.
In view of the passage of time since the lease was entered and the fact that the school building has enabled education to be provided for 65 years my Department did not seek the repayment of the calculated balance remaining of €2,259.
