Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 470: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the name and location of every vacant building under her Department's ownership or control; the security arrangements in place in respect of each property; the cost of such security arrangements in respect of each property in the period 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36300/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The vast majority of primary schools are owned by the relevant Diocese or Parish. Post-primary schools are, in the cases of Community and Comprehensive schools owned by the Minister for Education and Science or, in the cases of voluntary secondary schools and private fee-paying schools generally by Religious Orders.

Those sites that are acquired by my Department for the purposes of providing permanent accommodation for schools are generally green-field. As soon as construction of the school is complete, control and management of the site and building is handed over to the relevant school authorities. The question of security in those instances does not therefore arise.

To my knowledge, the only vacant buildings in my ownership are located at the Sundai Campus in The Curragh, Co. Kildare. This campus was purchased a number of years ago and consists of 3 separate buildings, a school block, a dormitory and a dining block. There is a Gaelscoil in operation in one of the blocks and my Department has entered into a security arrangement with a security firm for the safeguarding of the remaining two vacant blocks until such time as they are put into educational use. The cost of the security from October 2005 to September 2006 is €4,500.00. I am not aware of any vacant third-level premises.