Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1473. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing expenditure on the school meals programme by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16480/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Funding towards school meals is being provided in over 1,580 schools and other organisations, supporting over 248,000 children at a cost of some €54 million in 2018, representing an increase of €6.5 million over the previous year. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.

Based on the 2018 budgetary allocation of €54 million, the estimated cost of increasing expenditure on the school meals programme by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% is provided in the tabular statement. Changes to increase the funding of any scheme administered by my Department would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

Tabular Statement: Additional annual costs of expanding the school meals programme