Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

As Chairman of the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, I see great opportunity for co-operation between the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Department of Education and Science as regards the availability of facilities. Ultimately, they share the same goal, to get young people and the not so young moving in the same direction because of academic performance as well as physical and mental well-being.

Has the Minister thought about developing cooperation with the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism on the idea of opening up the schools, perhaps on a commercial basis? She referred to the installation of fitness suites. There is no reason why after school activity should not yield a commercial return while at the same time helping with the upkeep of the school in terms of lighting and heating costs.

On the issue of forward planning, in a town such as mine, for example, there is a new community college that was in the top five of sporting schools without a PE hall. Perhaps in a few years time there will be an opportunity for the Gaelscoileanna to go forward. If there is a potential for them to develop on greenfield sites located close to existing schools, then perhaps facilities could be shared. Has the Department any plans along these lines? Such initiatives must come from the Department as well as the local communities if duplication is to be curtailed. I am in complete support of Deputy Gogarty on the grounds that PE and music are the first to be hit when education budgets are squeezed and yet they are as central to the cognitive and physical development of the child as any other subject and perhaps more so. However, people do not accept this because the emphasis is on the "three Rs".

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