Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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581. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of children eligible to receive and the number in receipt of the school meals programme; and the estimated cost of expanding the programme by 10% to provide for a wider eligibility. [30931/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 €47.5 million in 2017. The funding for the scheme was increased this year, as part of Budget 2017, by an additional €5.5 million (13% over the previous year’s allocation) which will benefit over 50,000 children.

Based on the 2017 budgetary allocation of €47.5 million, the additional annual costs of expanding the school meals programme by a further 10% is €4.75 million. Changes to increase the funding of any scheme administered by my Department would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.