Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number, in view of a newspaper report (details supplied), of schools that have made a complaint to her Department in connection with potential improper conduct and behaviour in terms of the school meals programme; the number of allegations of subsidy fraud that have been made to her Department by various schools throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7836/09]

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 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 Department has received one allegation in relation to the operation of the School Meals programme and this allegation is currently being investigated. The Department does not comment on individual allegations of fraud or abuse until there has been a successful prosecution in the courts.