Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will commit to ring-fencing the moneys allocated by FÁS for the refurbishment of Lourdes Youth and Community Services until such time as the ownership of the property has been resolved. [25799/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The issue of allocating moneys for the refurbishment of Lourdes Youth and Community Services is a day-to-day administrative matter for FÁS. However I understand that the following is the position.

Last year the FÁS Board approved a grant for Lourdes Youth and Community Services and the North City Centre Community Action Project to undertake the refurbishment of Rutland Street School. The prime purpose was to enable them to relocate to this building to run their FÁS-funded Community Training Centre.

The building is in the ownership of the Dublin Diocesan Trust which is in negotiations with Dublin City Council to transfer ownership to the Council. The process is taking longer than anticipated. The Council has agreed that the community groups can refurbish the former school once negotiations are completed. Until then the Council can not offer a lease to the groups. In the absence of the legal certainty afforded by such a lease, FÁS can not, at this stage, commit funding for the refurbishment.