Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response. In my county there is a challenge with maintaining our playgrounds. Certainly the local authority responds differently to the schemes in place. We have difficulty with the upkeep. We have had an influx of playgrounds in recent years. Mayo has one of the highest number of playgrounds in the country, which is good news, but it is very important that the community is supported in maintaining a sense of pride to ensure it can draw visitors and tourists.

Some local communities come to us looking for support for their playgrounds. It is difficult at times to allocate funding from an annual scheme. It is widely recognised that families spend a lot of time in playgrounds. There are added benefits to this with regard to physical well-being and physical activity. While I understand schemes are in place, local authorities need to be better informed and instructed in how to access the funding.

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