Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to outline the provisions to be taken to ensure the successful roll out of the schools meals scheme as announced in budget 2017; if storage, waste and administrative costs have been factored into the funding announced in 2017; the way in which the scheme will be administered by the participating schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38472/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. As part of Budget 2017, I announced an additional €5.7 million for school meals which will benefit over 50,000 children.

Additional funding is being provided to DEIS schools already participating in the scheme to provide breakfast and lunch to pupils. My Department has also written to some 50 DEIS schools not participating in the scheme and invited them to join. To date, 11 additional DEIS schools have expressed an interest in joining the scheme. The additional funding provided in Budget 2017 also provides some provision towards the extension of the scheme to breakfast clubs in non-DEIS schools from September 2017. This is the first time in many years that increased payments will be provided to schools outside of DEIS.

More than 50,000 children will benefit from the increased funding providing breakfasts and lunches. Of these, some 35,000 extra school breakfasts will be provided in non-DEIS schools from the start of the new school year and will be expanded in future years.

Officials in my Department are engaging with colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills regarding the provision of the additional funding to schools for the next school year and priority will be provided to those schools where there is most need.

Funding is provided directly to participating schools/organisations which are responsible for the operation and administration of their school meals project. The scheme is administered by schools in a variety of ways and depends on the needs, capabilities and resources of the schools/groups. Examples of delivery modality include full canteen services, purchase of prepared meals by the school from specialist school meals suppliers or from local suppliers and purchase and preparation of meals by school/group staff or volunteers. Funding under the programme is provided for food costs only and does not cover storage, waste, administration or any other non-food costs.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.