Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if his Department will give early approval to a DEIS school (details supplied) in Dublin 11 for inclusion in the free school lunch scheme. [5497/08]

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 directly by the Department toparticipating schools in both urban and rural areas who are running specific school meals projects.

There is no record of an application having been received from the school concerned for funding under the scheme. It is open to the school concerned to contact my Department if they wish to make an application for funding. Any application received will be processed without delay. There is no automatic entitlement to funding under the school meals local projects scheme. Priority for funding under the scheme is being given to schools in the Department of Education & Science's initiative for disadvantaged schools, 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS).