Vol. 503 No. 4
45 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the future plans, if any, he has for the school meals scheme; the action, if any, he will take as a result of the recent report from his Department on the scheme which recommended that it should be enhanced to ensure a higher nutrition level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7800/99]
The school meals scheme is a statutory scheme which assists in the pro vision of free school meals to certain children attending national schools in specified areas.
While my Department has policy and legal responsibility for the school meals scheme, the scheme is administered by the local authorities. My Department has no function in either initiating school meals programmes in schools nor in deciding the nutritional quality of meals. Its function is confined to reimbursing local authorities up to a maximum of 50 per cent of their expenditure on the provision of such meals and approving participation in the scheme.
In 1997 my Department engaged independent consultants to undertake a full review of the school meals scheme. The consultants report was received by my Department in 1998 and was circulated to the Department of Education and Science and other relevant parties. The report recommended that changes to the scheme should only be implemented in the context of the development of school nutrition policies and programmes. It also recommended that the scheme should be administered by the Department of Education and Science.
My Department intends to initiate a formal evaluation of the school meals scheme shortly, using the consultant's report as a basis for that examination.
