Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Ross Finnie MSP has demanded urgent clarification from the Scottish Government about its plans for physical exercise in schools.

Yesterday the Scottish Government announced that under Curriculum for Excellence, schools will be expected to offer young people a minimum of two hours of physical education every week. However, during an interview on BBC radio the Schools Minister was unable to provide details about how and when schools will deliver the requisite two hours of PE a week.

Commenting, Mr Finnie said:

“The SNP is all over the place on physical exercise targets for children. A few weeks ago, a Government spin doctor claimed that the two hours a week target had been dropped, a line that Alex Salmond dismissed later that same week at First Minister’s Questions.

“Yesterday, Ministers finally confirmed that the target stands, but there is confusion as to how it fits into the SNP’s stated aim not to be prescriptive about how long schools spend on any particular subject.

“Then, this morning we discover that the Schools Minister is utterly incapable of expanding on the target. She was unable to give any details about how the two hour target would be delivered during the school day, preferring instead to remind the interviewer that physical education could be delivered before and after the school day.

“The SNP needs urgently to clarify what this two hour target means and how it will be delivered.”