Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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41. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will review the conditions being applied to school authorities that avail of CLÁR funding to acknowledge that schools must have primary use and in cases in which outside bodies are using facilities outside of school hours that they must have their own public liability insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50480/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As advised in previous responses to the Deputy, CLÁR funding has been provided for a range of measures to be delivered by schools and communities, including for the enhancement or development of Play Areas and Multi-Use Games Areas (MUGAs). 

The  conditions attached to the CLÁR programme require that such facilities should be available for wider community use.  In the case of schools, I appreciate that the use of play areas and MUGAs by the general community may need to be restricted to times outside of normal school hours.

Many schools in CLÁR areas are willing to make their playground facilities available for community use and have received support under the programme on this basis. The objective was that these facilities would be available to local families and visitors to the area.  I do not believe it would be appropriate or feasible to require individual families that use these facilities outside of school hours to source their own public liability insurance.  

I am not aware of school play areas being used in a way which might give rise to public liability issues by any other outside bodies or groups.