Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 439: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to provide physical education equipment grants to schools every three years. [18371/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to promoting appropriate levels of exercise for our children and young people. New curricula for PE in primary schools and at Junior Cert level have also been put in place.

Since 2000 my Department has provided in excess of €5.5m in grant-aid to primary schools to facilitate the provision of coaching or mentoring in connection with physical education or to purchase resource materials associated with the provision of physical education. Such materials and equipment would normally have a useful life of several years.

In addition Primary schools received €2,000 each in PE equipment grants in 2006, at a total cost of €6.5 million. A similar grant of €4,000 per pupil, at an overall cost of around €3 million, issued to post-primary schools in 2007.

The payment of future PE equipment grants will arise for consideration in the context of the funding available for my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. I am not in a position at this stage to say when such grants will be paid.