Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Following on from Senator White's point about positive age week, I had the pleasure last Monday to open the Ballymun Whitehall Area Partnership positive ageing week to more than 200 enthusiastic elderly people. Somebody at the event said that 60 is the new 40, so when I told them that it would be only six years before I got the bus pass, they were a little bit shocked when they noticed my slender body.

On the other end of the scale of aging, two years ago I brought my motion on the physical fitness and education to the Seanad under the points for life initiative. That day I got a round of applause from my colleagues here, as well as receiving a considerable amount of media coverage. There have been many years of debate in here, the Dáil and the media on the health of the nation and particularly the physical state of well-being of the youth. However, when such debates and motions are brought to the Dáil or the Seanad people often ask where the reports are. Most of them are on shelves. However, behind the scenes, I have worked closely with the Department of Education of Skills over the past two years. We have overcome roadblocks and hurdles and I know that many more are to come. However, I am very pleased to announce that the points for life pilot programme commences in schools today. Under the leadership of Dr. Mary O'Flaherty, the Professional Development Service for Teachers has a management team and a delivery team in place where teachers, students and parents will be skilled. In addition, having an evaluation team in place means that by next June we will know what the results are of this delivery of physical education. I do not want the programme just to be a one-year pilot; I want the programme to be continued because it needs to be sustained beyond the one year.

Now that a referendum is taking place on Friday, many people in the past couple of weeks and months have criticised Senators attendance at the House, and they have looked at our attendance and voting records. I may have missed a number of votes because I was in meetings with various Departments to get the programme off the ground. That example makes clear the work of Senators is not just about their voting or attendance record but what they do behind the scenes.