Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 553: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the issue of nutrition and physical activity levels of school children being seen as part of the duty of care of each school, for example in relation to catering for school meals, policy on vending machines and the provision of fresh drinking water; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3597/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Our schools promote, support and encourage healthy eating and physical exercise in a range of ways.

All second level schools have been required to provide Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) as part of the junior cycle curriculum since September 2003. This course builds on SPHE in the Primary School Curriculum.

SPHE, when considered both at primary level and in the junior cycle, provides all students with opportunities to develop skills and competences to enable them to engage in responsible decision-making and to promote their physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. Nutrition and physical activity are specifically addressed in the SPHE module on 'Physical Health'.

Physical education is also part of the curriculum and plays a key role not just in giving students an opportunity to exercise during the school day but also in encouraging a positive attitude towards physical activity which students will hopefully carry with them into adult life.

Quite apart from curricular provision, schools can implement measures to encourage physical activity during school breaks and schools already play a major role in promoting the involvement of students in sporting activities in the wider community. Sports organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Basketball Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) provide extensive opportunities for schools to participate in sport.

Together, the above initiatives ensure that students not only get opportunities to exercise at school but also learn about balanced nutrition and making good food choices. I believe that schools are playing their part in terms of promoting a healthy diet and adequate physical exercise for students.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 554: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the banning of vending machines in primary schools; if she will develop and implement such a policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3598/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Schools are privately managed institutions which, although funded by the State, enjoy a large degree of autonomy. It is, therefore, primarily a matter for each school to devise guidelines around the types of food that are available on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and welfare of the pupils.

I know that many schools have developed healthy eating policies in co-operation with their parents' associations and I would encourage others to do so.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 555: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the development of a clear code of practice in relation to the provision and content of vending machines in post primary schools by industry, her Department and schools' representative bodies; if she will develop and implement such a policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3599/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Schools are privately managed institutions which, although funded by the State, enjoy a large degree of autonomy. It is, therefore, primarily a matter for each school to devise guidelines around the types of food that is available on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and welfare of the pupils. I know that many schools have developed healthy eating policies in co-operation with their parents' associations and I would encourage others to do so also.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 556: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on the schools Inspectorate, in the course of its evaluation of activities in schools, focusing on the prevention of obesity and on the further development of its indictors to do this; if she will develop and implement such a policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3600/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The subjects Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Physical Education (PE), cover, among elements of the syllabus, the areas of healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, physical health, body care, exercise, relaxation and diet. They are evaluated in schools by the inspectorate, using indicators specific to primary and to second-level schools as appropriate.

In the development of Whole School Evaluation over the past five years, the inspectorate has sought to ensure that its inspection processes support the full implementation of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) at both primary and second-level.

Thematic evaluations in schools examine, in a focused way, particular aspects or organisational issues in schools. A number of thematic evaluations of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) were conducted in primary schools in the last year. Reports on some of these evaluations are already on my Department's website, and others will follow shortly. These inspections included evaluation of the schools' work in promoting healthy eating, exercise, and healthy lifestyle. SPHE has been routinely included as an important element of Whole School Evaluation as well as in thematic evaluations in schools. Inspectors evaluate the course and also the environment of the school and the school's policies on promoting healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.

In spring 2007, I requested the Inspectorate to develop and conduct subject inspections of SPHE in second-level schools also. These subject inspections commenced in the past year and are continuing. Reports of these inspections will also be on my Department's website.

Within these evaluations, inspectors focus, as part of the inspection, on 'Physical Health'. This forms a specific module in SPHE in second-level schools. Inspectors use specific indicators to evaluate healthy eating and healthy living in primary schools. In second-level schools, whole-school support for students is evaluated which includes students' health and well-being. The Physical Health module referred to includes topics such as body care, healthy eating, exercise, relaxation and diet.

The inspectors of Physical Education (PE) also stress these areas in their inspections in schools, as they form an important part of the PE syllabus. These inspections comprise both subject inspections of PE and also PE evaluation within Whole School Evaluation (WSE) in schools.

My department has, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children, prepared a publication promoting Healthy Eating Policy in second-level schools. This book complements the earlier publications on Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Pre-Schools, and Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Primary Schools, published by the Health Promotion Unit of the Department of Health and Children.