asked the Minister for Education the details of the survey which he says has been completed into the needs for sports halls in second level schools.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Orals Answers. - School Sports Halls.
14.
As I have said previously, I have completed an examination of the existing needs in relation to physical education halls. The study determining the criteria to identify the schools where physical education halls will be provided has not yet been completed but I hope to complete it shortly.
Would the Minister not answer the question and tell us what the result of this study is? If he has determined the need, would he now say what the need is? How many, for example?
It is impossible to say how many. As the building of physical education halls was suspended in 1975 by the National Coalition Government, all the new schools that were built in the meantime have not got them. There are many other secondary and vocational schools which have now applied seeing that money has become available. The difficulty is to decide what specific schools will have physical education halls.
Could the Minister tell us what this study has told him, if it has told him anything?
It has told me that, in my innocence, I did not realise the great gap there has been because the building of these halls had ceased. I have to try to mend the Department of Education's hand in the matter. We are producing physical education graduates from Limerick for the last four years and halls have not been built. It is a retrograde step to decide to delete physical education halls from new schools because we have qualified teachers to teach physical education and a physical education hall is as important as a science laboratory.
Does the Minister not accept that two of the last four years have been under his stewardship?
The Minister realises that 20 months have been under his stewardship and one complete financial year—1978—and I think that the Government have done very well. If there was a streak of generosity in Deputy Horgan he would admit it and say he was delighted.
Not a brick has been put on a brick.
The Deputy said the same about grants for third-level students.
Could the Minister indicate how many schools he will allow to commence building halls in the current year and will they be old schools or new schools?
That is a pertinent question. At the moment we are engaged in establishing the criteria. I could not give him the names of schools as of now but I hope to have them in the near future.
I asked the Minister to tell me the number of schools which would benefit from his stewardship?
I could not give him a specific number but I should be able to tell him in the near future.