Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will consider the Senator's proposal but I am very conscious that the physical education element of the curriculum has so many aspects to it and to single out just one part could cause difficulties. I am also conscious that many school principals bemoan circular overload from the Department and I do not want to be adding to their load. To some degree, an awareness of water safety should be a basic element and anyone involved in physical education should be aware of it. I hope our efforts this year to provide resources for teachers to upskill themselves by taking part in IWS courses will be an incentive in itself. Perhaps if we alert people to the availability of that programme, it would have the same effect as sending a circular which might appear to be placing an emphasis on one element of the curriculum at the expense of others. I will discuss with officials how we can best do this to address the concerns the Senator has raised.