Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

491. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 230 of 22 November 2017, if she will review correspondence received in response to same; if this area's classification has changed in view of the latest Pobal HP deprivation index statistics; if this company will be recategorised as eligible for funding under this scheme as a result of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52955/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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. This Department does not use the Pobal HP Deprivation Index to determine eligibility for the school meals scheme. As I have already advised the Deputy, in recent years priority for new applications for funding had been given to schools which are part of the DEIS programme, designed to give tailored support to schools who have high concentration of disadvantage. For the first time in many years, breakfasts are also now available to some schools outside DEIS that have been identified in consultation with the Department of Education and Skills which has developed a more robust and responsive framework for assessing individual schools levels of concentrated disadvantage.

While there have been expansions to the school meals scheme, any further changes to increase the funding to allow an extension to crèches would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter at this time.