Dr. Karl Henry:

Every year on "Operation Transformation" we take a national health issue and make it fun. While the reaction of Members today to the audiovisual presentations has been to laugh and smile obesity is a serious national problem.

The next point on our plan is entitled "Fit at School, Fit for Life". We know that if we can get children active while in primary education the chances are they will stay fit for life. The current recommendation on physical education is one hour per week. We know that many children are not even getting this.

Members saw the hero-teacher concept in the video presentation. Our concept this year is recognising those in schools who make a difference, who go above and beyond the call of duty and over and beyond their required hours to get their pupils moving and healthy. Every child in Ireland does not, unfortunately, have access to a hero teacher. We do not believe they should. What we are promoting is one additional hour of physical education on a weekly basis for the 3,300 national schools across Ireland, using 100 primary school physical education teachers. We believe this would have a lasting affect at a health and national level. More important, if we can get primary school pupils moving the chances they will continue to do so in second and third level.

We have a huge problem in secondary level schools because as children move through the curriculum physical education becomes less important. I ask Members to think back to the time of their leaving certificate examination. If at that time they had been offered 20 bonus points if they passed a particular level on a bleep test, how would they have reacted? Would they have taken the opportunity to get those points, or not? Professor Niall Moyna of Dublin City University, DCU, believes that awarding points for fitness in the secondary education system will ensure physical education remains important throughout that system. Students at leaving certificate level could be offered bonus points if they pass a particular level in a bleep test.

As a nation, we once had a problem with honours level mathematics. This was addressed by way of giving extra points to those students who took honours mathematics. We believe the same incentive should be put in place for physical education. On last week's show, we carried out a bleep test on a fourth year class in Athlone, the results of which were shocking. The students' fitness levels did not come anywhere near the EU recommendation. We offered the incentive of €1,000 if they could pass the test eight weeks later and they did. The results were above the EU recommendation. The return on this investment - a bleep test, for which a CD and CD player is required - at school level, which is one of the most stressful times in anyone's life, will be healthier students whose results will be better. It will also prolong the physical education system. Chances are that students at third level will be active if they were active at leaving certificate level.

We believe points for fitness is a key, simple and effective message. From an exercise perspective, the Step-it-Up campaign and Points for Fitness, are simple, key tools, which are cost effective and easy to implement and will deliver real results. We have shown through the audiovisual presentations what can happen. We have shown the results. The ball is now in the committee's court. We hope it will follow.