Mr. John Treacy:

I wish to make a few points in response to Senator Eamonn Coghlan. With regard to minority sports, indoor facilities are critically important for many of those small organisations, so they have an indoor space to hold their competitions. David and I have discussed this quite a lot.

I echo what Sean Benton said about the GAA. It works in the local community. We are conducting a Get Ireland Walking initiative at present with organisations such as the HSE, the GAA and the Irish Heart Foundation. The GAA is opening up walking routes around its playing fields. It is basically getting its members active again when their playing days are over. It is something the GAA is very much aware of in terms of making sure the facilities are available for the community.

PE in school is an old chestnut. My view is that there is not enough time for it in primary school. There is a very good curriculum in place but not enough time is given to it. It is similar in secondary school. Without a shadow of doubt, there is no time and no priority, and that is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills. It is not prioritised. If we are seeking to have a culture of physical activity in this country, it must start in primary and secondary schools. It is not for the sporting children who are very good at sport, but for the children who might not feel sporty or might not have the confidence to involve themselves in physical activity. The PE curriculum plays a key role in enhancing the skills of children at primary level, so they have the confidence to continue to play sport when they go to secondary school. That is the critical issue. I believe there is a cultural shift around physical activity in this country, because there is a great deal of activity taking place. However, the piece we must put in place is to ensure that nobody is left behind and that the skills are given to all the children in every primary school throughout the country.