Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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32. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a funding application by a child care organisation (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14551/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, 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.

In line with the national policy framework for children and young people, Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, priority for new applications for funding has been given to schools which are part of the Department of Education and Skills initiative for disadvantaged schools “Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools” (DEIS). The Department is currently examining options for the allocation of the additional funding for the next school year.