Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way a school can apply to be included in a scheme (details supplied); the appeal mechanism that exists in the event of an application being turned down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37718/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The school meals programme gives funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged school children through two schemes. The first is the long-standing statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department of Social & Family Affairs. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly by the Department to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who are running their own school meals projects.

The school meals programme is non-statutory. Priority for funding under the school meals local projects scheme is given to schools which are part of the Department of Education & Science's initiative for disadvantaged schools 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS). The focus of the school meals programme will remain on disadvantaged children and the inclusion of additional DEIS schools in the scheme will continue to be the Department's main priority.

Applications for funding under the school meals local projects scheme may be made to the Department using the appropriate application form which is available from the School Meals Section of the Department or from the Department's website. Any school not satisfied with a decision on entitlement to funding can request a review of the decision. Applications under urban school meals scheme should be made to the appropriate local authority.