On page 67 of the programme for Government, there is a commitment to bring youth mental health to the fore through our education system. The foundation of mental health for our youth starts in our schools, but it starts with physical education. County Cavan has some thriving secondary schools but, unfortunately, some of them have dated gym facilities and others have none. Bailieborough community school and St. Aidan's comprehensive school in Cootehill have outdated facilities and have applied consistently for funding but without success. Worse again, two schools in the county, St. Bricin's in Belturbet and St. Mogue's in Bawnboy, have no gym facilities whatsoever. One of those schools has had two critical incidents in the past year. The issue can no longer be ignored and funding must be set aside for gym facilities, a basic requirement in any secondary school.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It is an important matter because physical education, PE, is now being introduced as an examination subject in the leaving certificate curriculum. It has been trialled in a number of schools and it is a matter on which I am very focused. We also need to focus on PE very strategically in primary schools. The Deputy is correct in what she says about PE facilities in secondary schools. I am getting correspondence from various parts of the country about schools that need gymnasiums and PE halls to implement this part of the curriculum. As part of that we have €8.4 billion available over the ten-year period of the national development plan. A programme will be rolled out to include gymnasiums in that. Obviously that will not happen overnight.