Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the recommendations for playground space per square metre per child in national schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4703/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the provision of playspace, where site conditions and circumstances allow, is one of the issues considered in the architectural design of new schools and major extensions. The level of facilities, including playspace, that can be provided in schools will therefore vary depending on the extent of classroom accommodation needed for the school. A suite of technical guidance documents is available on my Department's website (www.education.ie) to assist design teams in best practice in the design and development of projects and to encourage them to take a complete design team approach from project conception. These documents cover all aspects of the development of a building project for both internal and external works.

In the case of existing schools, ensuring the availability of sufficient playground space can be much more difficult particularly in town and city locations. However, such limitations can often be addressed through the use of a school's general purpose room together with the arranging of access to local community facilities and amenities.