Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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156. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools at primary and post-primary level who currently avail of the school meals programme; the number of these that are under the Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17716/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools that have previously applied to his Department for funding under the school meals programme and have been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17717/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if funding for the provision of school meals is currently available to schools outside of the Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17718/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 156 to 158, inclusive, together.

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations at a cost of €42 million in 2016. There are two schemes operated under the school meals programme. The first 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. The second scheme is the urban school meals scheme which is operated by local authorities and part-financed by my Department.

There are currently over 1,200 primary schools and 350 post primary schools availing of the school meals local project scheme. Of the total, 780 schools are part of the Department of Education and Skill’s initiative for disadvantaged schools, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools or DEIS, of which over 75% are primary schools (over 590) and the remaining post primary.

The scheme is available to support disadvantaged school children and the schools that joined the scheme prior to the introduction of DEIS would have done so under the various educational disadvantaged programmes in place at the time. These schemes included School Completion Programmes, Giving Children an Even Break, Home School Community Liaison Scheme, Designated Disadvantaged, Early Start and Breaking the Cycle.

Priority for increased funding or new applicants under the scheme is given to schools which are part of DEIS in line with the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, Better Outcomes Brighter Futures. There is a particular focus on the provision of breakfast clubs in DEIS schools which provide very positive outcomes for vulnerable children in terms of their school attendance, punctuality and energy levels. Statistics are not maintained on the number schools that previously applied for the school meals scheme and the outcome of the application.

In addition, there are some 300 primary schools participating in the urban school meals scheme. Some of these schools may also be receiving funding under the school meals local projects scheme, for example, a breakfast club under one scheme and an afternoon snack under the other. The decision on eligibility of schools for the urban scheme rests with the local authorities subject to this Department’s approval. A breakdown of the number of these schools in DEIS is not available.