Ms Helen Faughnan:

As the Chairman said, the Department of Social Protection administers the school meals programme as a targeted intervention for children at risk of food poverty and educational disadvantage. Proper nutrition, as the two previous speakers said, can improve children’s ability to concentrate, improve disruptive behaviour and encourage children to attend school. The programme aims to provide regular nutritious food to children who are unable, by reason of lack of food, to take full advantage of the education provided for them. Funding the provision of food services in schools guarantees ongoing positive returns on a public investment in the health and educational performance of future generations. There is a particular focus on the provision of breakfast clubs within the programme which provide very positive outcomes for vulnerable children in terms of their school attendance, punctuality and energy levels.

The programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations throughout the country, which benefits approximately 217,000 children at a total cost of €39 million this year. An additional €3 million was allocated to the programme as part of budget 2016, bringing the total allocation to €42 million for next year. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement by children, especially those who come from the most disadvantaged background.

As we have indicated, there are two schemes operated, the urban school meals scheme and the school meals local projects scheme. The urban school meals scheme is a historical statutory scheme that is operated in conjunction with local authorities. This scheme is confined to national school children and the decision on eligibility of individual children and schools rests with the local authorities, subject to this Department’s endorsement. The Department of Social Protection jointly funds the food costs on a 50:50 basis with the local authorities which are responsible for the administration and operation of the scheme. More than 300 schools benefit from the urban school meals scheme, at an annual cost to the Department of Social Protection of approximately €1 million. The second project, the school meals local projects scheme, provides funding directly to primary schools, secondary schools, local groups and voluntary organisations, in both urban and rural areas, which operate their own school meals projects. The scheme was established to assist school meals projects operating outside the remit of the urban school meals scheme. At the end of the previous academic year, 2014-15, almost 1,200 schools and more than 200 preschools and other groups were receiving funding under this scheme.

In line with the national policy framework for children and young people, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, priority for new applications for funding has been given to schools which are part of the Department of Education and Skills initiative for disadvantaged schools Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, the DEIS programme. Funding is allocated on a school year basis and schools or groups must reapply for funding in advance of each school year.

In recognition of the benefits that the scheme provides and despite severe pressure on the social protection budget, the Government has provided for the increased allocation of some 20% for the school meals programme - increasing it from €35 million in 2012 to €42 million in 2016. The extra funding provided under the scheme in recent years has extended the scheme to additional DEIS schools and special schools and has provided for increased payments to existing schools with a particular emphasis on breakfast clubs.

The additional €3 million that has been provided for next year will again be used to build on the previous commitment to prioritise the provision of breakfast clubs. Funding under the school meals local projects scheme is based on a maximum rate of payment per meal per child per day. It has been outlined that funding is for food costs only. All food must be of a suitable quality and nutritional value and must be prepared and consumed in an appropriate environment. The type and range of meals provided, as well as the method and logistics of supplying the meals, are decided by the individual local groups and schools that operate the projects. Responsibility for all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the scheme lies with the school or group. All schools have a responsibility to implement healthy eating policies. The Department advises schools to consult relevant healthy eating publications, such as those published by the Healthy Food for All initiative. Various links are available on the website of the Department of Social Protection.

Analysis undertaken with the Department of Education and Skills shows that the majority of DEIS schools are participating in the school meals scheme. The analysis shows that a high percentage of schools from DEIS bands 1 and 2, and from urban and town areas, are participating in the scheme. This shows that the scheme is clearly targeting the most educationally disadvantaged pupils in the State. DEIS schools that are not participating in the scheme are generally rural schools where an identified need for the scheme has not been established. Over the last two years, the Department has written twice to all DEIS schools that are not participating in the scheme to invite and encourage them to participate in it.

In line with the normal control aspects of all of our social welfare schemes, the Department commenced a school meals inspection programme in 2012. The on-site visits that are conducted by social welfare inspectors strengthen and support the controls that are already in place. Almost 455 schools have been examined to date under this inspection programme. The inspections find a high rate of compliance by funded organisations and schools with the conditions of the scheme. In cases of non-compliance, appropriate action is taken by the Department depending on the issues identified. As always, the Department needs to maintain a balance between managing payments to schools and continuing to provide for a service for the children therein. The inspection programme has been expanded recently. A three-year programme has been in place since August 2015 to cover the inspection of all schools. Within the next three years, we will have inspected all of the schools. Additional staffing resources have been allocated to the school meals section of the Department to support this inspection programme. As I have said, some 455 schools have been examined since 2012. Some 140 schools have been examined so far this year. While analysis of the returned reports for this year is ongoing, the indications are that as in previous years, the results will show a high rate of compliance.

I assure the committee that the Department is committed to the ongoing development and administration of the school meals programme and recognises the obvious benefits it provides to children. Applications for the scheme for the current year have been processed where the relevant documentation has been provided to the Department. I trust that my presentation has been of assistance to the committee. I will be happy to answer any questions that may arise.