Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of schools in County Louth currently benefiting from school meals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13202/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations which benefits over 205,000 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 to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects.

Despite pressure on the social protection budget, the Government allocated an additional €2 million for the school meals programme in 2015, providing a total allocation of €39 million. The Department is currently considering options regarding the allocation of the additional funding.

Details on the schools in County Louth participating in the school meals local projects scheme are being compiled and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.