Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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349. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools that have applied for school meals funding since 2009; the number of these that have been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16201/17]

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 some €47.7 million in 2017. The funding for the scheme was increased this year, as part of Budget 2017, by an additional €5.7 million (almost 14% over the previous year’s allocation) which will benefit over 50,000 children. For the current academic year, 2016 / 2017, some €44 million has been allocated to schools under the scheme.

There are currently a total of 1,460 schools and organisations participating in the scheme. A breakdown of the number of schools and organisations benefitting from the scheme per year since 2009 is provided in the following tabular statement. Statistics are not maintained by the Department on the number of unsuccessful applications for the scheme.

During this period priority for new applications for funding had been given to schools which are part of the DEIS programme. From September 2016 additional funding is being provided to DEIS schools already participating in the scheme to provide breakfast and lunch to the majority of pupils. A further 21 DEIS schools have joined the scheme this academic year.

Budget 2017 funding also provides for the inclusion in the scheme, from September 2017, of up to 245 new schools and 47,000 children. This includes support to schools being brought into DEIS for the first time and the extension of the scheme to breakfast clubs in non-DEIS schools, which is the first time in many years that increased payments will be provided outside of DEIS. Priority will be provided to schools where there is most need and officials in my Department are in the process of contacting these schools inviting them to join the scheme.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Number of schools/organisations benefitting from the School Meal Programme per year