Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

All new school buildings and major refurbishments have PE halls as a matter of course. With 4,000 schools and more than half of primary schools having four teachers or fewer, we will not provide PE halls for very small schools. Last week I opened an extension at a school with 19 children. We did not provide a PE hall in that case but, as it happens, the school in question has adequate space both inside and outside for PE classes. I am sure the Deputy is well aware from his own involvement that grants for sports facilities provided under the sports capital programme are awarded on the basis that the facilities will be made available to youth groups and schools. We are seeing more co-operation in this regard.

In addition to the building fund which I specifically outlined, under the dormant accounts fund, in excess of €6 million was spent on 447 projects for outdoor play areas. In a show of co-operation between my Department and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, significant funding has been provided in recent years for outdoor play areas in schools in CLÁR programme areas.

Deputy O'Mahony inquired about a PE exam. The NCCA has drawn up a syllabus in that regard but two issues still require serious consideration, one of which relates to how assessments would be carried out. The second is that if one were to introduce PE as a subject, one would have to ensure equity of facilities. In addition, regarding PE in schools, it is necessary to take into consideration the pressures on the curriculum, given the length of the school day.

It must also be borne in mind that children spend 20% of their time in school. It is much more important that communities and families consider whether children are walking or cycling to school, sitting in front of the television or playing with their Gameboys or Nintendos and whether their only exercise is imitating playing tennis or another sport.

See this speech in context