Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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668. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount of funding allocated in 2016 to a programme (details supplied); the amount of funding utilised in 2016; her plans for unused funds in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42705/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations at a total cost of some €47.5 million in 2017. As part of Budget 2017, the funding for the scheme was substantially increased by an additional €5.5 million which is benefitting over 50,000 additional children from September 2017 bringing the total number of schools in the scheme to some 1,700 and the number of children supported to up to 250,000.

In addition to providing some increases to existing DEIS schools benefitting almost 6,000 children, Budget 2017 funding also provides for the inclusion in the scheme, from September 2017, of up to 240 new schools supporting 47,000 children. This includes 65 newly designated DEIS schools and 174 non-DEIS schools selected in consultation with the Department of Education and Skills. This is the first time in many years that schools outside of DEIS have been invited to join the scheme.

Prior to the introduction of DEIS in 2005, all schools that were part of one of a number of Department of Education and Skills’ initiatives for disadvantaged schools were eligible to participate in the programme, which included Breaking the Cycle, Giving Children an Even Break, the Disadvantaged Area Scheme, Home School Community Liaison and the School Completion Programme. These schools have continued to remain in the scheme. In the previous academic year, 2016 / 2017, there were 118 Breakfast Clubs and 46 Snack Clubs provided in 153 non-DEIS schools at a cost of some €968,000.

Applications for the scheme for the 2017 / 2018 school year continue to be received and processed. It is expected that the full funding available under the scheme will be allocated over the coming weeks.