Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Martin Conway for putting down this Commencement matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone.

Play is an internationally recognised area of importance for the well-being of children. The child's right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people, 2014-2020, recognises play and recreation as one of the ways in which the aim that all children will be active and healthy, with physical and mental well-being, will be achieved.

The provision of public play and recreation facilities is primarily the responsibility of local authorities. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs also has a role in this important area. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, is committed to ensuring that children's right to play is promoted and protected. Since 2013 the Department of Children and Youth Affairs has administered the capital grant scheme for play and recreation. The scheme provides for new and innovative projects which can include new facilities, equipment, designs. The utilisation of non-traditional play spaces, or the refurbishment or upgrading of existing play and recreation spaces and facilities, is also provided for and encouraged. The total amount of funding available under the scheme each year since 2013 is €250,000, with a maximum grant of €20,000 to any local authority.

Funding criteria for the scheme were developed in conjunction with the local area play and recreation network. Established in 2012, the network is made up of staff with responsibility for play and recreation in their local authority area. The purpose of the network was to introduce a more co-ordinated and interagency approach to achieving the main goals of the play and recreation policies, at both national and local level.

Senator Martin Conway asked if the provision of financial support is conditional on the playground being universally designed to allow children with various disabilities access the equipment. The Minister has confirmed that one of the key criteria for funding under the capital grant scheme is that all facilities and equipment funded must be accessible to children and young people with special needs.

Other criteria applied to applications include play and recreation spaces and facilities must be available for use by all children and young people in the locality at times when they are free to use them, namely outside of school hours; all facilities and equipment must be youth-friendly and safe; children and young people must be consulted about the project for which funding is requested; and confirmation that a "No Smoking" sign is prominently displayed in the facility for which funding is awarded must be provided. A further requirement of the scheme is that the local authority in which the playground is situated must provide matched funding for the project. This can be in the form of land, equipment, staff or additional funding.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has recently commissioned a review of the public provision of play and recreation facilities. The findings from this research will inform the next steps in developing play and recreation policy. Future developments in this policy area will involve all key stakeholders, including children and young people, in the deciding the future direction to be taken.