Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I know this will be a source of debate within the Department's building unit, but as regards the PE halls that have been developed, the Deputy may be aware a number of them have a balcony, which is enormously expensive in the context of a building programme. I understand from girls, however, that it is very successful because that is where the fitness suites are located. The girls are starting to use that area and of course it is cut off from the rest of the school and from people down below who might be using the sports facilities. That is something I shall have to keep in mind for the future, even though it adds substantially to building costs. I have always been conscious of the fact that teenage girls do not like to do PE. It obviously has to do with age, self-esteem and all of those other matters and perhaps the shower facilities in schools. We should work on anything that encourages them to be fitter.

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