Written answers

Thursday, 9 July 2009

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Departmental Programmes

12:00 pm

Photo of Olwyn EnrightOlwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 693: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress in relation to the programme for Government commitment to implement significant improvements to the school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29947/09]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary 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. 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 run their own school meals projects.

The school meals programme has expanded significantly in recent years. Total expenditure has increased from € 13.6m in 2006 to € 32.4m in 2008. Provision has been made for expenditure of € 35m in 2009, an increase of 157 % on 2006. In 2006, 125,000 pupils in 1,400 schools benefited from the programme and this increased to almost 190,000 pupils and 1950 schools in 2008. It is expected that in excess of 200,000 pupils from approximately 1973 schools will benefit from the scheme in 2009. 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 disadvantage schools, 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools' (DEIS). That Department has indicated that there are approximately 153,000 pupils enrolled in 875 DEIS schools. Pupils from 730 DEIS schools currently benefit under the school meals programme. This is an increase of 330 DEIS Schools since 2006.

The schools meals scheme is a direct intervention providing meals to children. The focus of school meals scheme will remain on disadvantaged children and the inclusion of additional eligible DEIS schools in the scheme will continue to be the Departments' main priority.

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