Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 526: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the procedures in place to hand over a school from the State to a community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28680/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The interests 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 by my Department should the owner of the site wish to dispose of the property. Prior to agreeing to a request to surrender Ministerial interest on charged property, my Department examines all requests to determine whether the property is required for future educational use.

The Deputy may wish to note that my Department has a general policy of encouraging the use of school facilities by community and other groups where this is possible and where appropriate arrangements are made to reimburse the school for any additional expenditure incurred by the school associated with such usage (heating, lighting, caretaking, insurance, etc). However, any proposal for the use of school facilities outside of normal schools hours must be approved by the local school management authorities in the first instance. In 2005, my Department issued a circular letter to all school authorities urging them to make their facilities available, where possible, for community and recreation purposes.