Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of breakfast clubs currently supported by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34198/06]

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 170: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of homework clubs currently supported by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34200/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 170 together.

The majority of the 412 schools currently in the School Completion Programme, operate some level of breakfast or other meal provision, in accordance with the Nutritional Guidelines issued by the Department of Social and Family Affairs. In addition to being able to use funding from the School Completion Programme, the provision of school meals is primarily funded by the School Meals Programme, administered by my colleague, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, and involving both an urban scheme operated by local authorities and a local projects scheme.

The School Meals Programme aims to supplement the nutritional intake of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to allow them to fulfil their potential within the educational system and also to reduce the risk of early school leaving. In 2006, it is estimated that 69,903 children benefited in 1,008 schools under the local projects scheme and the urban scheme provided support for more than 386 primary schools, with 55,000 pupils. In 2006, the Department of Social and Family Affairs has provided estimated funding of €10.4 million for the programme — an increase of approximately 25% on the 2005 provision of €8.2 million.

My Department has been working in close co-operation with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to ensure that the resources available for school meals are used to best effect and to further expand school meals provision in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

Educational research has shown that good nutrition improves the concentration levels of students and that students from low-income families are less likely to have access to an adequate diet. The provision of healthy school meals is therefore a priority for the Government in tackling educational disadvantage.

In relation to homework clubs, many of the schools receiving extra funding from my Department under the School Completion Programme use some of this funding to provide homework clubs. The new DEIS plan also provides for further expansion in this area.

Each of the 873 schools participating in the new School Support Programme will have access to a range of academic supports such as one to one, small group tuition, literacy/numeracy and curricular supports, individual learning plans, revision and study skills courses and non-academic supports such as sports/recreational/extra-curricular activities, clubs and meal provision, after school supports including homework support and holiday time supports.