Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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827. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the latest discussions between her Department's forward planning Section and the Catholic school bodies regarding areas where patronage may be divested to new patrons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29153/15]

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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828. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has identified the next areas that will be discussed with the Catholic management bodies for school patronage divestment in each of the years 2016 to 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29154/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 827 and 828 together.

Four new multi-denominational primary schools are expected to open in September 2015 under the patronage divestment process. Three of these schools will operate under the patronage of Educate Together. The fourth school will be a Gaelscoil operating under the patronage of An Foras Patrúnachta. This development will bring to nine the number of new schools opened under the patronage divesting process to date.

My Department will continue to work intensively with the main Catholic Patrons in the other areas to advance alternative Patron choices in those areas for 2016 and beyond.

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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829. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have changed patronage since 2011; the location of these schools; the new patron in each of the new schools; the length of time it took from when a change of patron was first discussed to when the final change over took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29155/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Deputy may be aware that actual changes of patronage for existing schools are relatively rare. Under the patronage divestment process, what is more usually involved is the reorganisation of existing schools which can free up provision to facilitate the opening of a new school under alternative patronage, either in an existing or an alternative school premises.

There are two cases of actual changes of patronage for existing schools since 2011. In 2011, with the death of the Earl of Dunraven, patronage of St Nicholas Church of Ireland School, Adare, Co. Limerick passed to the Countess of Dunraven and Mount Earl, Geraldine Dunraven. In 2014, patronage of Newtownwhite National School, in Ballina, Co. Mayo, was divested to "Educate Together" from the Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry. The divested school is now known as "Newtownwhite Educate Together NS".

Nine schools have opened under the patronage divesting process to date. In 2013, an Educate Together school opened in temporary premises in Dublin 2 and then moved to a former Edmund Rice School building in Basin Lane, Dublin 8 in September 2014.

Also in 2014, four schools commenced operation under the patronage of Educate Together. These schools are located in Trim, Co. Meath, Tramore, Co. Waterford, Malahide/Portmarnock, Co. Dublin and Newtownwhite, County Mayo. The latter resulted from the transfer of patronage from the Church of Ireland, as mentioned above.

Four new multi-denominational primary schools are expected to open in September 2015 under the patronage divestment process. The first three of these schools will operate under the patronage of Educate Together in Tuam, Co. Galway, Castlebar, Co. Mayo and New Ross, Co. Wexford. The fourth school will be a Gaelscoil operating under the patronage of An Foras Patrúnachta and will be located in Birr, Co. Offaly.

This process has been underway since the publication of the "Report on the surveys regarding parental preferences on primary school patronage" in April 2013.

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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830. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has been in contact with any section of the United Nations regarding school patronage issues; if so, the level of this contact; the section of her Department dealing with school patronage issues with international bodies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29156/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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In the course of Ireland's appearances at UN treaty monitoring bodies in Geneva, questions from the Committees on school patronage issues were answered by the Irish delegation. In answering the questions, the delegation outlined the work on the implementation of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector and how this is providing greater diversity of patronage and choice for parents.

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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831. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria for new school patrons to apply to be on the possible school patron list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29157/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The recognition of a patron is linked to the establishment of a school. My Department identifies the requirement to establish new schools based on demographic requirements. When my Department identifies the requirement for a new school in an area, the requirement is publicised and applications are invited from prospective patron bodies. A prospective patron body does not have to be on a list of recognised patrons to apply for patronage of a school.

A prospective patron needs to have sufficient structure, continuity and reliability to conduct the responsible functions of patron, such as:

-appointment of the board of management

-suspension, if necessary, of the board of management

-responsibility for the school's characteristic spirit, for which the board of

management is accountable to the patron

-ultimate responsibility/liability for industrial relations

-responsibility for school property (and insurance)

-financial matters — annual budgets and reports

-decisions on school status, such as extension, amalgamation, closure

-the responsibilities agreed in the covenant with the Minister for Education

and Skills

A prospective patron needs to be able to demonstrate that it is capable of conducting the patron responsibilities in an ongoing way. For a group that is not a statutory body and wishes to be established as patron of a school, the group needs to establish itself as a corporate entity or as some other acceptable legal entity. In this process the group should articulate its educational philosophy and educational objectives in the memorandum and articles of association. The group should name three members as directors/trustees. The prospective patron should have charitable status.

Existing or prospective patrons may apply for patronage of any new school. A major criterion for the selection of a patron body is the extent to which it can demonstrate that a school under its patronage would extend or strengthen diversity of provision in the area, having regard to the views of parents.

A patron body must also satisfy my Department's requirements for establishing a new school set out in the document "New Arrangements for Patronage of New Schools" on my Department's website – see link hereunder:

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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832. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when her Department will next publish a school patronage update such as the July 2014 update; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29158/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The report to which the Deputy refers outlined the significant work that had been undertaken in relation to the implementation of the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.

I have no immediate plans to publish a further standalone document in this regard. However, the annual report of my Department, as well as reports on the implementation of commitments in the Programme for Government, will provide updates on the ongoing implementation of the recommendations of the Forum report.