Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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392. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement his Department has had with the insurance industry regarding the provision of public liability insurance for primary and secondary schools in respect of accidents in sport and play yards; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some schools now ban pupils from running during play and the detrimental effect this has on children's exercise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36956/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Responsibility for procurement of insurance and payment of same rests with Boards of Management and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in respect of schools operated by them. If a particular school has a query in relation to the cost of insurance it should raise this directly with its insurance provider.

Boards of Management and ETBs should take a proactive approach when it comes to sourcing insurance in order to ensure best value is obtained and to ensure compliance with public procurement procedures. The Schools Procurement Unit which has a national remit is available to advise and assist schools in relation to procurement matters.

It is my view that it is important for children to avail of the opportunity to exercise at school and that children should be able to run and move freely in the school yard unless there are very compelling reasons for individual schools to prohibit such activity.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the responsibilities on individual school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. It is also a matter for school authorities to determine school policies, taking into account any health and safety risks to children running in the school yard and to put appropriate safeguards in place to mitigate any potential risk to the school community.

As part of the management of the risks there is an onus on Boards of Management and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in respect of schools operated by them to ensure, as appropriate, that they have put in place comprehensive insurance cover for schools. Boards are advised by my Department to ensure that all such insurances are effected and maintained as are necessary to safeguard the school, the Board and the Trustees against all public liability. Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.

Schools are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of pupils and responsibility for the appropriate supervision of students is therefore a matter for the individual Board of Management. While appreciating that it is not always possible to eliminate all risks, it should nevertheless be possible to manage them in such a manner that pupils can run in school yards provided it is done in an orderly and supervised manner.