Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department encourages boards of management in receipt of funding for devolved projects to provide information on the successful tender to unsuccessful tenderers; if he will clarify whether issues of commercial sensitivity apply to freedom of information requests that relate to tendering processes which have been completed; if so, for how long after the process has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51743/13]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department discouraged a board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Clare in receipt of funding for devolved projects to provide information on the successful tender to unsuccessful tenderers. [51744/13]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm whether his Department was involved in a tender process this year carried out by a board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Clare which received of funding for a devolved projects, specifically whether his servants or agents advised that a tender could not be accepted. [51745/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 to 115, inclusive, together.

As the project in the case of the school, referred to by Deputy, was not a large scale capital project and was devolved to the school authority, my Department does not seek copies of the tender documentation, only confirmation that the lowest tender was successful. It is a matter for the school authority to ensure that best value for money has been obtained in sourcing the temporary accommodation and any associated works. The school authority is required to establish a process, record the details and make these available for audit purposes if required.

The school authority is also obliged to advise the unsuccessful tenderers, if requested to do so, of the reasons that their tender was unsuccessful. Unsuccessful tenderers can be given information regarding the apparently successful tender but are not generally informed of their specific ranking in the list of unsucessful tenderers.

In the interests of transparency and clarity, my Department has now contacted the school authority and advised it to issue all relevant information as feedback to each of the unsuccessful tenderers.

For the Deputy's information, I wish to advise that while my Department is governed by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, schools are not included within the ambit of that legislation.