Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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356. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of abolishing the parental levy on the school milk scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22177/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Parents of pupils participating in the EU school milk scheme who attend DEIS classified schools are exempt from a parental contribution for their children's participation in the EU school milk scheme and accordingly receive school milk free of charge. A parental contribution is required for those pupils attending non DEIS classified schools.

The parental contribution is offset against and bridges the cost of the milk charged by the national suppliers and the financial allocation made available to Ireland from the EU. This is deemed necessary in order to support the wider availability of the EU school milk scheme to those pupils from non DEIS schools who choose to enroll, so enabling greater participation in the scheme.

The rate of parental levy depends on the price charged by the individual milk suppliers to the schools. This price can change per school year and can vary per supplier.

The parental contribution is not income received by the State, but is paid by the schools concerned directly to their school milk supplier. Accordingly, these costs are not readily available to my Department. For the school year 2023/2024 it is estimated to be in the amount of €150,000. The aim is, and has been, to keep the parental contribution as low as possible and the parental contribution, per child per week of enrolment in the scheme, for the current school year does not exceed €1.40 on a national basis.

An evaluation of the EU School Milk Scheme has shown that the parental contribution is not a significant detriment to the voluntary enrolment by a parent, of their child (attending a non DEIS school) in the scheme.