Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

489.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to explain why schools, newly designated as DEIS in 2022, are solely eligible either for a hot meal (if they are a primary school) or a cold lunch (if they are a post-primary school) and not for a breakfast club; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25451/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

490.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the criteria determining the declining of funding for a breakfast club for the six DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. [25452/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 489 and 490 together.

The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding.

In July 2022, I announced that the access to the hot school meal option would be extended to the 282 newly designated DEIS primary schools, and access to the cold lunch option was offered to the 38 newly designated DEIS secondary schools from September, benefitting some 60,000 children. This allowed all pupils in the new DEIS schools to avail of one substantial meal for the additional budget provided.

In the 2023/2024 school year, six DEIS Urban Band 1 schools were declined funding for a breakfast club as they were all schools newly designated as DEIS in 2022 and are solely eligible either for a hot meal (if they are a primary school) or a cold lunch (if they are a post-primary school).

Any school that has any questions in relation to their applications for funding for any of the meal options under the School Meals Programme can contact officials of my Department at school.meals@welfare.ie and they will clarify any queries that they may have and advise them of the options available to them.

Any additional measures to expand the coverage of other meal options would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter.