Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this report. While I know the Minister of State is a practical man, sometimes I wonder when I read a speech whether the person making the speech sees the real issue. In his paragraph on joined-up action he said: "The problem is of such complexity that a co-ordinated, cohesive approach across many sectors is required before we will see any change in the prevalence of obesity."

These words are of no use unless action is taken, and the Minister of State is a man of action. It is about making simple changes that make a difference. A judo club started up in a Galway suburb last year. The club pays the local authority the going rate for the hire of its hall, approximately €20 an hour, for three to four hours one evening a week. Some 50 or 60 young children attend the judo classes from both middle class and poorer areas. Judo is a new sport there and an important Olympic sport. The club is now in debt and has an overdraft because of the rental it must pay to the local authority for the use of the facility to provide the service. The club members, mothers and fathers involved, give of their free time. All they need from us or the local authority is a helping hand with the rent for the hall or half of it. The children are charged €4 per night. Anybody with children involved in sports knows that if it is €4 for one activity and the same for another, that is all people can afford. Even at €4, it becomes expensive for those with more than one child who must pay out every week.

I suggest we show how committed we are. I believe we are committed and that we will face this head on as a result of this good report which outlines the problem. Let us set up a fund which is accessible and non-bureaucratic and where people do not have to fill in an application form for lottery funding. All people should have to prove should be that they have young people availing of an activity-based sport, that they have the proper structures in terms of insurance and a governing committee. We should provide some sort of continual funding for such activities to ensure that clubs such as this judo club do not end up in debt. It would be just a small amount of money every year for this little club in Galway.

We should put our money into small projects all over the country. There should be no bureaucracy with regard to this funding. The lottery funding is marvellous, but it is for capital for buying or leasing a building. These small clubs are run by parents and adults throughout the country on a voluntary basis. Often, they spend more time fund raising to keep the club going than they spend with the children, which does not make sense. We need to consider small actions which can have a great impact. We should establish an annual fund, for example. When successful applications are made under the fund, people should be given a commitment that they will be given a small amount of money to make life easier for them.

Another practical aspect of this issue that needs to be debated is the sharing of resources. When I listened to the radio on the morning this report was published, I heard a person talking about going for a run in a GAA field beside a school. It makes sense for schools to be able to avail of local facilities which are not used during the day. I refer to municipal facilities, GAA facilities and soccer club facilities, for example. Perhaps such clubs could receive a small amount of money in return, to help them with ordinary running costs. Everybody will benefit if resources are shared, rather than wasted. We do not need playing pitches and large facilities in every corner of the land. We need to share facilities. General purpose halls in schools should be available to interested groups in the evenings. It is not right that every little kingdom that is built is guarded closely to ensure that nobody else can enter it.

I would like to discuss the role of local authorities in facilitating exercise. When one drives around the country, one notices many new playgrounds in towns and villages. Local authorities have worked hard to develop playgrounds. There were just two playgrounds in Galway city five years ago, but there are approximately 12 playgrounds in the city area at present. Playgrounds are also springing up in the Galway County Council area. Children can avail of play facilities because money has been invested in every little town.

The Minister of State spoke about the need for a joined-up approach. Ireland should be promoted internally and externally as a tourism location that is suitable for children. We should make sure everyone knows there are many things to do at the playgrounds which are found throughout the country. If I intend to spend a weekend in County Kilkenny or County Donegal, I should be able to find details of outdoor facilities in such locations which are suitable for children on a single website.

I refer to beaches and public areas where one can kick a ball, for example. There is a skateboard area in the magnificent millennium park in Galway. I assume many people who have visited Galway do not know anything about it. Many of those who access tourism websites before they visit Galway may be seeking information about facilities for children. They will pack their roller blades and skates if they know there are places where they can be used. Such initiatives are necessary if we are to get children to be active. We can make progress in this regard by making exercise fun and supporting those who are promoting exercise.

Senator Quinn spoke about the amazing idea of pedestrian buses. I saw a photograph in a newspaper last week of a line of children wearing luminous jackets. They were being led by a number of parents, who I assume offer their services on the basis of a rota, as they were walking to school. Such initiatives will work successfully in urban areas, but it would be hard to operate a pedestrian bus in a rural community. We should foster this brilliant idea, in which many people would like to get involved.

I am not sure whether Senators have mentioned the problems which arise when schools withdraw physical education classes as a form of punishment. The Minister for Education and Science has said she does not think it is an appropriate method of punishment. The Department needs to make it clear to schools where such forms of punishment are being used that they cannot continue to do so. Children should not be threatened with not being allowed to participate in physical education classes if they are bold. If children are bold, it is not fair or right to forbid them from enjoying such classes.