Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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665. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools in counties Cavan and Monaghan involved in the meals programme in the past school year; the way this compares to the previous year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24513/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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670. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the funding allocated each year since 2006 to the school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26207/16]

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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671. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools and students which availed of the school meal programme each year since 2006 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26208/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 665, 670 and 671 together.

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them.

Details of the allocation to the school meals programme each year since 2006 is provided in the attached tabular statement. Details of the number of schools and students that availed of the programme since the academic year 2009/2010 are also provided. These figures are not available for the period between 2006 and 2009.

In the previous school year, 25 schools from counties Cavan and Monaghan participated in the school meals programme which represented an increase of 1 school over the previous year. This information is provided on a county basis in the attached tabular statement.

Table 1: Budget allocation for the School Meal Programme

Table 2: Number of schools and students benefiting from the School Meal Programme per year

* The Urban School Meals Scheme is administered and operated by the Local Authorities with the Department of Social Protection providing funding of 50% of the food costs. Some overlap exists in relation to the schools and pupils in both schemes. For example, a school may operate a breakfast club under one scheme and a lunch club under another.

Table 3: Number of Schools in the School Meals Programme in Cavan/Monaghan

Number of Schools in the School Meals Programme