asked the Minister for Education if he will outline (a) the functions of a board of management; and (b) in what respect the Department can over-rule the decision made by a management board.

The functions of the national school management board are those assigned to the manager under the rules for national schools. The main provision is in Rule 15, section (1) of which reads as follows:

The Manager of a national school is charged with the direct government of the school, the appointment of the teachers, subject to the Minister's approval, their removal and the conducting of the necessary correspondence.

The rules for national schools and the document comprising the rules of procedure for boards of management (copies available in the Oireachtas Library) indicate the occasions on which Ministerial sanction is required. It would, of course, be open to the Department to refuse such sanction if it was considered that the circumstances warranted such a course.