Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. From the preventative point of view, I wholeheartedly agree with his sentiments regarding the importance of raising awareness. If we can take preventative measures and utilise early intervention measures to tackle childhood obesity, it will have a positive effect downstream for the citizens themselves as well as for the Exchequer in terms of medical interventions and so forth.

The Department is committed to promoting healthy lifestyle choices among children and young people. This is reflected in the curriculum for primary and post-primary schools. The successful active school flag, ASF, programme also provides evidence to the effect that schools are keenly interested in ensuring that their students have positive attitudes to physical activities. However and as the Deputy articulated, there is only so much that schools can do. There is an onus on parents and the community to ensure that children are as active as possible outside of school.

The Department recognises the importance of cultivating healthy attitudes in children. This is reflected in the primary school curriculum for science, physical education and social, personal and health education, SPHE. Pupils are enabled to develop an understanding of food and nutrition, including the importance of food for energy and growth and the importance of a balanced and healthy diet along with being physically active.

In post-primary schools, the SPHE syllabus contains modules on healthy eating, and physical education promotes activity. The popular optional subject, home economics, also has a role to play. On 4 October 2012, my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, published a framework for the junior cycle. One of the principles of the framework is well-being. This principle will be underpinned by key statements of learning that require students to understand the importance of food and diet in making healthy lifestyle choices, to be confident and competent participants in physical activity, to be motivated to be physically active and to take action to safeguard and promote their well-being and that of others. A new short course in SPHE is being designed for 100 hours, some 30 hours longer than the current programme.

The Department seeks to recognise schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and active school community by awarding them the ASF. More than 1,000 primary and post-primary schools have registered for an ASF. To date, 156 flags have been awarded with the number expected to rise significantly during the coming year. Through the ASF process, schools have developed many innovative and exciting ways of encouraging their school communities to become more active.

In cultivating healthy eating attitudes in children, the 2009 life skills survey of primary and post-primary schools showed that 87% of the primary schools and 32% of the post-primary schools that took part in the survey operated a healthy eating policy. The life skills survey was repeated in 2012. It is hoped that the percentage of schools, particularly at post-primary level, with a healthy eating policy will have improved. The results will be published later this year.

The Department of Health and my Department collaborate and co-operate on a number of relevant areas, including healthy eating. The Department of Health has involved this Department and others in developing Healthy Ireland, a report that is to be published shortly. My Department is also a member of the Department of Health's special group on obesity, which is meeting today.

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