Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 341: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if all schools that come within the CLÁR area and have the disadvantaged status are receiving the school meals scheme. [26444/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, 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 second is the school meals community (local projects) programme through which funding is provided by my Department to participating schools and voluntary community groups in both urban and rural areas who are running specific school meals projects, including breakfast clubs.

The Department of Education and Science has identified a total of 875 disadvantaged schools under its 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS) action plan. To date, a total of 668 DEIS schools are participating in the school meals scheme. Priority is being given to DEIS schools, regardless of whether they are located in CLÁR areas or not.

The focus of the school meals scheme will remain on disadvantaged children and the inclusion of all eligible DEIS schools in the scheme will continue to be my Department's main priority.