Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of the total of 1,891 DEIS schools, some 858 participate in the scheme. The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of meals to 1,580 schools and organisations, benefiting more than 250,000 children. The objective of a scheme is to provide regular, nutritious meals, be it for breakfast, lunch, or after-school clubs. It is not just DEIS schools that get it, nor do they get it just for lunches. It is a wider programme that reaches a wider audience over and above the 858 schools.