Máirín Quill
Question:17 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of money his Department paid to various county borough councils, urban district councils and town commissioners regarding school meals. [7228/96]
Written Answers. - School Meals Funding.
The urban school meals scheme allows county borough councils, urban district councils, and town commissioners to provide school meals free of charge, if they are satisfied that any of the children attending a national school are unable, due to lack of food, to take full advantage of the education provided for them.
Where school meals are provided on this basis the local authority must have ascertained that funds other than public funds are not available, or are insufficient, to defray the cost of food provided.
Local authorities must seek my approval to provide school meals free of charge. Once such authority is received, the local authority may recoup 50 per cent of their expenditure on the provision of meals for eligible children from my Department. The remaining 50 per cent of expenditure, along with any administration costs, are met by the local authority.
In 1995, my Department paid out £733,263 to local authorities as part of the school meals scheme.