Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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359. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department, or any bodies under its remit, rent space in a building (details supplied) in Tralee; if so, the annual rental cost; the total rent paid since the commencement of the lease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66706/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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All Education and Training Boards (ETBs) apply to the Department for ministerial sanction for a lease in line with section 53 of the Education and Training Board Act, 2013.

In relation to your question, SOLAS has advised my officials that Kerry ETB holds a lease for Unit 102 for Further Education and Training administration in the Centrepoint building. The lease commenced on 1 June 2017, with a lease term of 10 years and 7 months. The current annual rental cost is €55,600.92 including VAT which is funded from the SOLAS allocation to Kerry ETB.

In addition, Kerry ETB holds a separate lease for its Head Office in the Centrepoint building. The costs associated with this lease are met from two distinct departmental budgets: that of my Department (allocated via SOLAS) and that of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Youth. This arrangement reflects the legislative framework governing ETBs, which deliver functions across both the further education and training remit and the wider education system. The lease for the Head Office commenced on 1 August 2015 with a lease term of 12 years and annual rent of €242,514.18 including VAT.

The total rent paid across both leases since commencement amounts to nearly €2.8 million including VAT.

Details on buildings owned and leased by ETBs are set out in their annual financial statements. The Minister for Education and Youth recently laid Kerry ETB’s financial statements for 2024 before the Houses of the Oireachtas in line with section 5 (2) of the Education and Training Board Act, 2013.