Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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47. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools availing of funding from her Department for the provision of school lunches which have run out of funding for this academic year and have had to stop providing school lunches to children as a result; if her Department will provide these schools with funding in order that school lunches can be provided to the children for the remainder of this school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17339/15]

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. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement by children especially those from the most disadvantaged background.Government has provided €39 million for the scheme in 2015 which includes an additional €2 million over that provided last year.

The Department is aware of a primary school in Donegal that has a shortfall in funding for this school year. Officials have engaged with the school principal and arrangements are being made to provide additional funding of some €7,500 to the school to provide school lunches for the remainder of this school year.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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48. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 244 of 31 March 2015, the name of the school to which she refers; the engagements her Department has had with this school to resolve the issue; the level of funding her Department will provide to this school in order that it can resume the provision of school lunches for its pupils for the remainder of this school year; if sufficient funding will be made available to this school for the next school year in order that this issue does not arise again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17340/15]

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. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement by children especially those from the most disadvantaged background. Government has provided €39 million for the scheme in 2015 which includes an additional €2 million over that provided last year.

The school referred to by the Deputy is a primary school in County Donegal. I can confirm that officials have engaged with the school principal both in writing and by telephone in recent weeks. Having reviewed the matter, arrangements are being made to provide additional funding of some €7,500 to the school to provide school lunches for the remainder of this school year. Applications for funding for the 2015-16 academic year will be considered when the school make their application which is generally made at the end of the school year in June.