Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1446. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of the actions in the Get Ireland Active - the National Physical Activity Plan which were completed; the actions completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19605/22]
View answerGet Ireland Active! – the National Physical Activity Plan for Ireland (NPAP) was launched on 14 January, 2016.
Significant progress has been made on almost all of the 60 actions within the defined timeframes; more details will be available through the 2020 NPAP Summary Progress Report, which will be published shortly.
Needless to say, whilst many of the actions can be deemed to be completed in terms of meeting the goals set out in the NPAP, the nature of some of the actions, such as further developing the scope of Local Sports Partnerships, expanding the number of schools engaging with the Active School Flag programme, providing additional supports for physical activity for older adults and those living with a disability, and many more, is that they are ongoing. Further progress will continue to be made pursuant to ongoing actions, past the target dates set out in the original plan.
Following the standard procurement processes, carried out through the Office of Government Procurement, the NPAP is currently under independent review by Crowe Ireland. The review will serve to assess progress against the original goals, and identify any outstanding actions which may need to be redefined, redeveloped or progressed further.
Crowe Ireland has developed and presented a draft report to the National Physical Activity Implementation Group, at its most recent meeting on 11th April, 2022. The Report includes a review and evaluation of implementation, analysis of policy and research materials, national and international guidelines, a comparison with the policy landscape in similarly sized countries and stakeholder feedback, as well as recommendations for policy priorities to be included, if possible, in future policy development.
The Review, once finalised, will inform the development of the next phase of the NPAP; it includes recommendations regarding priority action areas and measures for inclusion in the next phase of policy development. Once complete, the Review Report will be published online.
