Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools here that are owned by religious teaching orders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9834/09]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools that are owned by the Catholic bishop or the relevant property trust in each of the 26 Roman Catholic dioceses here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9835/09]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 546: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, further to Parliamentary Question No. 2 of 26 February 2009, if he will identify by name, role number, location and Roman Catholic diocese, each primary school in the ownership of a religious teaching order or a Roman Catholic bishop that is subject to the requirements, as described by him on 26 February 2009, as being under lease arrangement whereby the owner must apply for and be granted leave to sell the property with the agreement of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9836/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 546, inclusive, together.

There are in excess of 3,200 primary schools in the country, most of which are not owned by the State. As the Deputy will be aware, I recently forwarded to him a list of those primary school properties which are owned by the State. The balance of such properties are owned by diocesan trustees of various religions or by religious orders.

The interest of the State in primary school buildings constructed on sites not in the ownership of the State is protected by way of long-term legal agreements. These legal agreements generally take the form of a charge registered as a burden on the relevant legal folio and must be surrendered to my Department should the owner of the site wish to dispose of the property. In relation to the surrender of interest on charged property, my Department examines all requests for release of my Department's interest to determine whether the property is required for future educational use.

Information relating to school site ownership and property details would have been received by my Department over a long number of years and the legal documents relating to the interest of the State in buildings constructed on sites not in the ownership of the State are generally held on individual files as distinct from a central database. Accordingly, the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in a format that is readily retrievable.