Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I will revert to the school estates for a moment. Almost nine out of ten are owned by entities that are not within the State system. In the seven years between 2012 and 2019, there was a spend of €4.1 billion on them, with €3 billion on major capital programmes and the rest on maintenance, summer schemes, etc. There was a recommendation from the Chief State Solicitor's office in 2009 that the Department of Education would implement a legal agreement to protect the interests of the State. There is a significant risk to the State's investment, which should be safeguarded, if there is a change in patron or the site is sold to a third party. What has happened in the interim? The Comptroller and Auditor General highlighted this in his 2018 report. Recommendation 1.3 was that the Department should ensure that legal agreements are in place between it and the school authorities in order to ensure that the members' interests are protected, and that this should be done as a matter of urgency. I understand that has not happened to date. What is the position in this regard?