Children should be allowed to run in school yards, a Fine Gael Senator has insisted.

According to Dublin Senator, Catherine Noone, it is well documented that one in four Irish children is now overweight or obese. This is due to poorer diets, but also a lack of exercise.

The problem has become so bad that Temple Street Children's Hospital has had to start using new larger theatre tables to cater for overweight and obese children, she noted.

"Last year, the EU Information Network found that Irish primary schools offered less physical education (PE) hours than any other EU member state. On top of this, many schools have banned running in the yard at break time, which is further curtailing children's opportunity to exercise.

"While individual school management authorities must have a safety statement in place in their schools, there are no general directives to ban running in the school yard," Senator Noone emphasised.

Currently, children in the EU are allocated an average of 109 minutes of PE time per week, however Irish children are allocated just over half of this.

"It's been shown that PE alone isn't enough to make sure our kids are getting enough exercise. According to the National Parent's Council, many parents, while understanding safety and insurance concerns, feel that banning running in the school yard should be the last possible resort and that staggering break times should be considered as an alternative," Senator Noone said.

She insisted that break times are a ‘key period' for targeting additional exercise.

"While I appreciate that it is not always possible to eliminate all risks, it should nevertheless be possible for schools, with appropriate supervision, to manage breaks while allowing children to run in the schoolyard and get the crucial exercise they need for their health and wellbeing," she added.