Written answers

Tuesday, 8 November 2005

Department of Education and Science

Sport and Recreational Development

8:00 pm

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to introduce dual use sports facilities in conjunction with local communities to encourage more participation in sport, especially by girls; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32770/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding for physical education halls, general purpose rooms and outdoor play areas in schools as part of the schools' capital investment programme.

General purpose rooms at primary level and PE halls at post-primary level are considered an integral part of the design stage for any major refurbishment programme of existing school buildings, providing that the site is of sufficient size or where a new school on a greenfield site is being built.

Applications for the provision of PE or sports facilities in existing schools are considered in the context of all other applications on hand for capital investment, that is, applications for new schools, refurbishment projects, extensions, new sites, remediation programmes etc. These facilities are available to all pupils, boys and girls.

The primary responsibility of my Department in this area is the provision of school facilities for the effective delivery of the curriculum. In addition, school authorities have a considerable degree of autonomy in how their premises are managed and utilised at local level.

However, I recognise that there is a lack of recreational facilities for community use in certain areas which could be met if school premises were made available to the wider community. To encourage schools in this respect, my Department issued a circular to all school authorities earlier this year urging trustees and boards of management to make their facilities available where possible for community education and recreation purposes. Decisions in the use of school facilities remain entirely at the discretion of the school authorities, subject to the condition that the needs of the students attending the school are prioritised in the first instance.

My Department has also progressed a number of school building projects within the Fingal area whereby the council provides additional funding for larger GP rooms which are then made available as community resources outside school hours. The Department's position is that the availability of such facilities should be self-funding, that is, adequate to cover the heat-light-caretaking arrangements as well as making some contribution to the repair of wear and tear on premises caused by increased use. Of utmost importance, schools should ensure that insurance and security are covered as it is unlikely that the school's insurance policy would cover non-school activities or that a caretaker would be routinely available to open/lock up premises.

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