Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

Unfortunately the situation in many schools at present is that children receive relatively little physical education time. I appreciate this is primarily a matter for the Department of Education and Science, but it is very important that the level of co-operation the Minister is talking about is progressed, in terms of the shared facilities. It is crucial, given the current economic climate, that the facilities which are available are shared, and shared easily. A major inhibitor in terms of sharing facilities seems to be insurance. I am not sure what the Minister's role could be in this, but it is very important that this is facilitated in every possible way. Schools which have facilities should make them available to outside groups and also community groups with sports facilities should make them available to schools. However, insurance is one of the key factors that presents a significant inhibitor in this case.

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