Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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102. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will increase the funding for the school meals programme. [24113/14]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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103. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to increase funding for the school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24229/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 103 together.

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services benefitting over 205,000 disadvantaged children. Despite overall pressures on social welfare funding, Budget 2013 provided an additional €2 million for the programme, increasing the total allocation from €35 to €37 million. This increased allocation was used to extend the programme to approximately 100 additional DEIS schools in the 2013/2014 academic year, bringing the total number of schools/organisations in the scheme to approximately 1,200. Any further changes to the funding for the school meals programme could only be considered in a budgetary context.