Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 244: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if an application has been received from a school (details supplied) in County Donegal for funding under the school meals local projects scheme for the year 2007; if the application has been successful; if the school will be considered for inclusion in the scheme for 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30023/07]

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 (local projects) programme through which funding is provided by my Department to participating schools in both urban and rural areas who are running specific school meals projects.

An application for funding under the school meals local projects scheme for a lunch club in the school year 2007/2008 was received in my Department on 1st October 2007 from the school concerned. As demand on the school meals local projects scheme has increased dramatically in 2007, and due to budget constraints, a number of schools, including the school concerned, have been informed that their applications for funding under the scheme cannot be processed in 2007.

In 2008, priority for funding under the scheme will, in the first instance, be confined to schools in the Department of Education & Science's initiative for disadvantaged schools, 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS). Following on from that, applications from schools not coming within DEIS will be considered having regard to any available funding remaining.