Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understand the concerns school management may have regarding security, insurance, the risk of damage to property and all of those issues that are discussed in the document the Minister referenced. I am talking about schools with state-of-the-art AstroTurf pitches, swimming pools, tennis courts, sports halls, meeting rooms, libraries, gyms and so on. All of those amenities should be made available. The Department should open up schools. Many buildings are on public land and most are publicly funded. They should all be open and available for community use. I ask that the Minister and her Department devise a policy or scrutinise the possibility of opening up schools to the public and in all new builds, in particular, to be fully conscious and aware of the potential to have community accessibility built into our planning. People should have access to schools after hours for community meetings, avail of the books sitting on school library shelves, access IT equipment and use all of our sports facilities.

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