Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals

1:30 pm

Ms Orlaigh Quinn:

I expect that we will come back when we have more information. When the proposal is further advanced, we could certainly brief the committee then.

To put it in context, it is small money. For example, we spend €35 million on school meals and it is due to go up to €37 million this year. That funds meals for 189,000 children. This is a very small, narrow, targeted fund and, as such, when it comes to developing our own proposals, it would have to be seen in that light. It will not do the broader-----