Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the school meals programme by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30% and 40% respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17766/17]

Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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390. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way non-DEIS schools are selected to participate in the school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18220/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 337 and 390 together.

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,460 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.

Based on the 2017 budgetary allocation of €47.7 million, the additional annual costs of expanding the school meals programme by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 30% and 40% are €2.4 million, €4.8 million, €7.2 million, €9.5 million, €14.3 million and €19.1 million respectively. Changes to increase the funding of any scheme administered by my Department would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

In recent years 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 funding for school meals is available to non-DEIS schools.

My Department has liaised with the Department of Education and Skills, following the application of that Department’s new DEIS identification model to all schools, and selected schools for invitation to participate in the school meals scheme. These schools have been contacted by my Department inviting them to participate in the schools meals scheme from September.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.