Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would favour a debate on the fracking issue raised by Senator Quinn so all sides of the issue could be discussed with the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, including the different research that has been carried out in America and elsewhere, with a view to getting all the issues on the table. I agree with Senator Quinn that there is a great deal of scaremongering on this issue. If the Americans have been investigating it for five years, we should look at what their research has brought to light. A debate on the issue in this House would be very useful.

I have been looking into something recently which I did not believe could be true, but it is. There is largely a ban in place on running in many of our schools. This relates to the child obesity issue which I have raised on numerous occasions. One in four Irish children are now either overweight or obese. Poor diets and those with high fat and high sugar content are a major factor, but sedentary lifestyles are also a huge factor. The problem has escalated to such a degree that Temple Street Hospital, as I heard yesterday, has had to bring in new, larger theatre tables to cater for overweight or obese children. If it were not so sad, the idea would be almost funny.

It is a huge issue. Last year, the EU information network found that Irish primary schools offered fewer hours of physical education, PE, than schools in any other EU member state. Break time is a time when children should be allowed to run, within reason.

The idea that they are being prevented from doing so in certain schools is somewhat mind-blowing. The National Parents Council has a great deal to say on the matter. While safety issues would be at play-----