Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide in tabular form since 2008 the total amounts drawn down by Ireland for the school milk scheme and the school fruit scheme; the number of schools and pupils which benefit from the scheme per county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44547/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The School Milk Scheme (SMS) was introduced in 1977, and over 20 million EU children benefited from it in 2011/2012, an 18% jump compared with 2010/2011. The SMS has operated in Ireland since 1982 with the objective of promoting and encouraging the consumption of milk among school children. Its management is primarily through the National Dairy Council (NDC) in conjunction with the co-ops, but take-up is quite limited on a geographical level. The Scheme provides for the payment of aid for milk products to school pupils and is co-financed by the EU and the MS, with my Department being the responsible Department in Ireland. The aid rates were reduced by approximately 7% per annum from 2004 to 2007 in line with the general reductions in support prices brought about by the 2003 Mid Term Review of the CAP. However, the Exchequer has made up for this reduction in the EU contribution, and the overall aid rates have been maintained at €27.89/100kg. Since 2007 the EU contribution is €18.15/100kg, with the balance of €9.74/100kg made up by the Exchequer.

In terms of some of the figures requested by the Deputy, the table below sets out some of the key aggregates. I will also undertake to forward some more detailed breakdowns in terms of the scheme coverage per county in tabular format.