Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 362: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the proportion of schools in Laois-Offaly that provide food to their pupils and the way in which this compares nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34327/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding toward provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities, which provides food services to primary schools. The Department jointly funds the food costs with these local authorities, who also manage and fund the administration of the scheme.

The second is the school meals local projects scheme. Under this scheme my Department provides funding to participating schools and voluntary community groups in both urban and rural areas for specific school meals projects. This has recently been expanded to include pre-schools that are community based and which operate on a not-for-profit basis. Some 386 primary schools have benefited under the urban school meals scheme for the calendar year 2005, of which two are in Laois and five in Offaly. In the academic year 2004-05 some 572 primary and secondary schools received funding from the school meals local project scheme, of which four were from Laois and two were from Offaly.

In general, the school meals service is very beneficial both in terms of child nutrition and as part of a range of positive actions by schools to encourage regular pupil attendance and improved academic attainment. I encourage schools, particularly those in designated disadvantaged areas, to apply to my Department to participate in this programme.