Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1135. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to roll out national initiatives to increase physical activity for children in schools as part of the national physical activity plan; if he will work with the Minister for Education and Skills to examine the need for physical activity and education to be part of the education syllabus from early childhood education to secondary level and to be part of teacher training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20835/17]

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Get Ireland Active! The National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland (NPAP) is one of the key developments arising from Healthy Ireland, the framework for improving health and wellbeing across the population. One of the most important aspects of Healthy Ireland is the recognition that no single Government Department, organisation or agency can make Ireland a healthier nation, but that all sectors of society and the whole of Government need to be proactively involved in improving the health and wellbeing of the population.

While my Department has responsibility for the strategic planning and coordination of the implementation of the Framework actions, the NPAP identifies and assigns responsibility for leadership on the implementation of specific actions to named Departments, organisations or agencies. The NPAP has highlighted the need to encourage more children to be active. A number of actions were included in the Plan and approved by Government to ensure that progress was made in supporting and encouraging more children to be active in school settings. My Department does not have a direct function in relation to rolling out initiatives in school settings as this is a matter for the Minister for Education and Skills.

In particular, actions 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 19 and 21 of the NPAP, which include initiatives to promote physical activity in schools, implement the contents of the physical education curriculum, and further develop teacher training, are the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Skills.