Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the role her Department plays in the provision of free school meals to students at primary level; her views on whether her Department should assume more responsibility for the service; the number of primary schools her Department is aware of that have free school meals provided; if her Department is aware of any primary schools that have had to stop providing free school meals during this academic year due to insufficient funding; if she will provide the number and names of the schools concerned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15507/15]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Minister believe her Department should take on a greater co-ordinating role in the programme for the provision of meals in schools? Also, is the Minister aware of any schools that have had to discontinue the provision of school meals during the current academic year due to lack of funding?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The school meals programme comes under the policy remit of my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton. I understand that 870 primary schools benefit from the school meals programme. Participation in the programme, including the level of funding provided, is a contractual matter between individual schools and the Department of Social Protection, and questions specific to the operation of the programme are a matter for that Department. However, the school meals programme is an important support for schools participating in DEIS, which is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. DEIS schools are prioritised for funding by the Department of Social Protection in accordance with the national policy framework for children and young people, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. This is particularly important for schools experiencing the highest levels of educational disadvantage; 97% of such schools participate in the programme.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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It is unacceptable that the Minister, having had notice of this question for over a week, would say this morning that any questions about whether schools have had to discontinue the provision of free meals is something we should discuss with another Department. Surely, if I am in a position to ask that of another Department or Minister, a Cabinet colleague of the Minister for Social Protection should take it upon herself to ask that question. It is unacceptable for the Minister to fob it off. These schools are under the Minister's jurisdiction and she is responsible for education. I asked the Minister if she believes her Department should take on a greater co-ordinating role in overseeing the provision of meals in schools, but I also asked her if she could update Members as to whether she knows of any schools that have had to discontinue providing school meals during this year. I am aware of schools that have had to stop providing school meals because they have run out of funding. They have requested additional funding but have not received it. The Minister does not appear to want to know that. As Minister with responsibility for education, she is absolving herself of responsibility for this by not wanting to know how many schools under her jurisdiction have stopped providing free meals. Earlier we discussed how DEIS works, and the provision of school meals is a part of that. It is important that the Minister make it her business to find out this information and try to address it with her ministerial colleague.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Deputy knows that I cannot answer questions about something that is the direct responsibility of another Minister. That is not the norm. In fact, I could have transferred this question, but I did not, as I have responsibility for some elements of the issues the Deputy raises. However, I cannot answer on the issues that are the responsibility of another Minister.

To reiterate, 97% of DEIS band 1 schools are in the school meals programme, but if a school decides for its own reasons that it does not wish to be in the programme we cannot force it to participate. For example, only 67% of the rural DEIS primary schools are in the programme, which indicates that the other schools might not wish to participate for their own reasons. It is a matter for the schools.

It has been suggested that schools do not have the equipment required. My Department currently provides a standard range of serving and dining facilities in the design of new primary and post-primary schools. I can provide the Deputy with the details on that. In addition, the minor works grant, for which €28 million was allocated last November, is available to all primary schools and it is open to schools to prioritise the works it requires within the scope of that grant. This includes the purchase of equipment or making areas available in the school to host interventions such as the school meals programme. We would encourage schools to be involved in the programme but we cannot force them. If they decide not to be involved, that is their choice.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Earlier we discussed how DEIS works across Departments and has yielded results. It is unacceptable that the Minister with responsibility for education would not make it her business to ascertain whether schools wish to participate in the school meals programme. The meals are provided in the schools and the Minister funds it, so she should have a primary interest in it, but she is not doing that.

She indicated that not all schools participate in the programme, but 67% in rural areas and over 90% in urban areas do. In many cases they have not been given enough funding to provide school meals for the duration of the school year. A number of them had to stop providing meals during the year when the money ran out. The Minister and her Department must take more responsibility for the provision of this service in schools. I do not understand why it should be under the remit of the Department of Social Protection and why the Minister for Education and Skills would not make it her business to find out how many schools have had to discontinue providing school meals after Easter or March because the money has run out. From the schools' perspective it makes sense to do this, but they do not have the money to provide what they regard as an important service in the second half of the year.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Even in very difficult financial times - Deputy McConalogue knows the reasons for that - the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, provided additional money for the school meals programme because she considers it to be very important, as do I. In 2013 and 2014 all DEIS schools not participating in the school meals programme were invited in writing by the Department of Social Protection to participate in the scheme. Some of the schools decided not to access the programme for a variety of reasons, including the lack of an identified need for it. I suspect that might be the case in some of the rural schools. They simply decided they did not need the school meals programme, and it is a matter for the schools to make that decision.