Jen Cummins
Question:99. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the monies outstanding from the church for redress could be offset in the exchange of property for divestment of school patronage. [28863/26]
View answerWednesday, 22 April 2026
Questions (99)
Written answers
Contributions from 18 religious congregations involved in the management of relevant institutions have been made under two distinct rounds – the 2002 Indemnity Agreement, and the 2009 Voluntary Offers.
The €128m due under the legally binding 2002 Agreement has, to a large extent, been realised. The entire cash and counselling components have been received, while 58 of 60 properties have also transferred. The two remaining transfers are progressing.
Following the publication of the Ryan Report in 2009, the government urged the relevant congregations to make further contributions and there was intensive engagement in that regard. However, the resulting offers were entirely voluntary and do not form part of any legally binding agreement with the contributing congregations.
All 18 properties offered by the congregations in 2009 and accepted for transfer to the State have now fully transferred and the expected cash contributions have also been received.
In addition, the Department continues to engage with the Christian Brothers in relation to the transfer of its portfolio of school playing fields and associated lands, which it valued in 2009 at €127m, to the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST), under an arrangement whereby the State would receive 50% of the proceeds of the disposal of any of the playing fields.
The schools recon?guration process, supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities, is a separate process and has been developed in order to meet demand from parents and to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational schools.
Through the Primary School Survey, which ran from 4 November to 16 December 2025, the department is obtaining clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend, or will attend in coming years, on a number of important areas of primary school provision, including patronage/ethos. School-specific reports will issue to all primary schools in May 2026.