Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 783: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the proposals included in the review of urban and district school meals schemes, including the transition to the school food programme, will be implemented; the timetable for implementation; when the implementation will commence; the cost of the implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40230/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The school meals programme operated by my Department gives funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, currently operated by 36 local authorities. 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, through which funding is provided by my Department to participating schools and voluntary community groups in both urban and rural areas for specific school meals projects. This scheme also supports pre-schools that are community based and which operate on a not-for-profit basis.

Under its programme of expenditure reviews, my Department completed a review of the school meals scheme in 2003. The review group recommended that a new scheme called the school food programme, SFP, should be established, targeting secondary schools with the highest concentrations of pupils at risk of early school-leaving and their feeder primary schools. Given the scale of this initiative, the group recommended the new programme should be phased in, in conjunction with the school meals project, targeting the most disadvantaged areas initially.

In order to advance recommendations made in the review of the school meals scheme, my Department assigned additional staff in the Donegal area to pilot additional ways of encouraging schools and groups to participate in the scheme. This project has resulted in a total of 16 new schools becoming involved in the school meals local project scheme in Donegal. These schools, and schools already operating the programme, are enthusiastic about its benefits. Improved attendance, attention and behaviour are reported. This project has been extended into the Sligo and Leitrim areas in 2006. Options for extending this project into other areas are being examined.

There is ongoing liaison between my Department and the Department of Education and Science on school meals issues. In 2005, the Department of Education and Science initiated a new action plan — delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, which incorporates many of that Department's existing schemes which target educational disadvantage. an updated list of schools identified for inclusion in its school support programme will be available shortly. My Department will use this list to ensure disadvantaged schools are prioritised for inclusion in the school meals programme.

While I am satisfied that the phased approach recommended in the 2003 report is proving effective, I have asked my Department to estimate as a matter of urgency how implementation on a wider basis can be accelerated. In 2004, expenditure on the school meals programme was €4.65 million in total. In 2005, expenditure increased by more than 50% to €8.24 million in total —€7.08 million for the school projects and €1.16 million for the urban school meals scheme. A total of €9.1 million has been allocated for the school meals programme in 2006. I expect to see expenditure on school meals increase over future years as the school meals programme is greatly extended.