Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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176. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding made available to all primary and second level schools for the purchase of physical education related equipment in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017; the number of requests for physical education related funding in each of these years from primary and second level schools in each year, by type of equipment requests; and the budget allocation for physical education related equipment available in his department in each of these years. [50135/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The information requested by the Deputy is not available in the format requested.

My Department provides in excess of €21m each year toward the provision of furniture and equipment including PE equipment in primary and post-primary schools. Where my Department provided a GP room in a primary school or a sports hall in a post-primary school as part of a building project, the equipment provided forms part on the overall furniture and equipment grant to that school and the cost of PE equipment is not identified separately.

Furthermore it is open to primary schools to purchase PE equipment under their minor works grant allocation.

The types of PE equipment provided in primary schools are bar boxes, balancing benches, gymnastic mats, and climbing unit consisting of large trestles, small trestle, horizontal poles and ladders. In the post-primary sector my Department funds appropriate equipment for a fitness suite consisting of exercise bicycles, treadmills, rowing machine, and elliptical trainers as well general PE equipment.