Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Department spends €39 million per year on the school meals programme. I have been a strong supporter of the programme as well as the Healthy Food for All initiative, which is about all of us, including schoolchildren and their parents, learning about healthy food and how to eat healthily. One of the issues with food is that sometimes a great deal of money might be spent on it, but the food might not be as nutritious as it could be.

I am a strong supporter of the breakfast clubs, and I welcome the Deputy's remarks. However, much depends on the school. The breakfast clubs and the school meals programme are available to all schools designated as DEIS schools in urban or rural areas. Interestingly, not all of the schools apply. Over the last couple of years we have been in constant contact with the schools to advertise the fact that this is available.

The other issue relates to the number of children. This year we increased child benefit by €5 to €135 per month. If a family is on social welfare it would also get almost €30 per week per child. In other words, for a family relying on a social welfare income, there is, in effect, approximately €65 per week per child, not counting other payments the family may receive. However, I agree with the Deputy and I would like if more schools availed of the breakfast clubs, but that is a choice for the schools. Not all schools open early in the morning. I have been talking about this to my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. To get a breakfast club the school must facilitate being open half an hour or an hour earlier. We also employ people, through different programmes, to assist with the school meals programme and they do a fantastic job. I would be delighted if more school principals and boards of management were to avail of the scheme.

The lunches that are provided are quite good but if a child has left the house without eating properly, it has an impact in terms of energy if their first meal is somewhat later. I have visited many school meals programmes throughout the country. Principals are enormously sensitive to identifying children who might have left home without getting a proper breakfast.

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