Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the need for a national strategy for sport across all Government Departments; if he has given such a strategy any consideration; if he or his officials have had any discussions with other Departments, in particular the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills on creating such a strategy. [40900/13]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has had discussions with the Department of Education and Skills regarding joint initiatives that could be taken between the two Departments to improve the level of PE classes here, particularly in view of the findings by Eurydice, the EU’s education information network that in both absolute and proportionate terms, Ireland has fewer hours of compulsory PE classes than any other EU member; his views on whether children here are spending enough time participating in physical education, both in schools, and outside. [40898/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 138 together.

A draft National Sports Facilities Strategy was published as a discussion document on my Department’s website last year.  The draft strategy is being incorporated into a broader policy document for Irish sport taking account of the cross-sectoral nature of sport across a number of Government Departments.

In addition, one of the commitments in Healthy Ireland - the Government Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025 is to develop a plan to promote increased physical activity levels across the population.  A cross-sectoral working group, which will be co-chaired by the Department of Health and my Department, has been established to develop this plan. It will provide a strong focus for modifying unhealthy life habits and promoting awareness of the benefits of physical activity, not just for health, but also in a wider socioeconomic context.  The group, which met for the first time on 12 September 2013, has agreed that the Plan will focus on operational issues to encourage greater participation in, and greater recognition of the importance of, physical activity.