Dr. Una May:

The climbing wall has only been in there for approximately 18 months. All of our community sports hubs will go through a full evaluation of the climbing wall. We are rolling out that facility nationally - slowly but surely. We are considering many models, be they based in a community centre or, as Mr. Treacy mentioned, in a school, or in a particular environment, for example, an outdoor environment. That will be evaluated fully. We have not got to that stage yet but the local schools are now participating in climbing programmes as part of their PE programmes. The children just have to go across the school to the climbing wall and that has opened up a big opportunity for them. We have visited the north-east inner city of Dublin and invested quite an amount of funding there. There is a climbing wall in one of the schools and we have been told that it is only used once or twice a year when the people from Mountaineering Ireland come in and teach the children. We are trying to introduce training to ensure that the wall can be used all the time and that the teachers, local community leaders and youth leaders would be able to teach climbing. That is an important development for us.

Regarding the non-competitive aspect, as Mr. Treacy said, there is an emphasis on developing what we refer to as physical literacy. It is a term that is increasingly being used more. We are developing a physical literacy consensus statement in order that people will understand what it means. In line with mathematics, reading and other literacy skills, it is important that physical literacy is considered to be a recognised term. It is about understanding the importance of being physically active and the fundamental movement skills of jumping, running and throwing in order that play is something that becomes normal and that children are able to play. We find when they go to secondary school, children do not even have the fundamental movement skills. They are not able to catch a ball or to jump very far. That limits their ability to take part in many activities.

The Physical Education Association of Ireland, PEAI, and the Professional Development Service for Teachers, PDST, have developed a module on physical literary. It is about understanding the fundamental movement skills but also the importance of physical activity, how to achieve it and recognising how to achieve it in different environments. It is a holistic approach to being physically active, fit and healthy and covers the area of well-being.

Mr. Treacy mentioned "Operation Transformation". We work very closely with those involved in that programme in the physical activity elements they introduce. We have found that many schools became involved in activities at the time of the "Operation Transformation" programme and have continued them. The concept of 10@10 was introduced, encouraging children to do ten minutes of exercise at their classroom desk at 10 a.m. Those types of initiatives have been continued beyond the duration of the programmes and they have been beneficial in introducing that level of activity within the confines of a classroom during the school day.