Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Apr 2000

Vol. 518 No. 5

Written Answers. - School Meals Scheme.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

168 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 32 of 9 March 2000, the basis on which an interdepartmental working group was established to review school meals in view of the fact that the Department already had an up-to-date report at its disposal; when this group was established; the terms of reference of the group; if it will report in time so that its recommendations can be considered for next year's Estimates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11814/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

My Department engaged Goodbody economic consultants to conduct a review of the school meals scheme in September 1997. Their report was completed in April 1998 and provides a useful analysis of the scheme. The consultants also set out their recommendations for the future operation of the scheme.

Following this, an interdepartmental working group was established, as part of the programme evaluation process, to review the scheme from first principles. Programme evaluation has twin aims of providing (i) a systematic analysis of what is actually being achieved by expenditure in each spending programme and (ii) a basis on which more informed decisions can be made on priorities within and between expenditure programmes. The analysis and recommendations contained in the report by Goodbody economic consultants provide a valuable input to the working group's deliberations in relation to the future policy direction for the scheme.

A similar approach, whereby consultants' analysis has been used to form the background to the policy recommendations, has been used in other reviews undertaken by my Department, for example, the review of the national and smokeless fuel schemes, the review of the schemes of grants for locally-based women's groups and for locally-based men's groups.

The working group held its first meeting in September 1999 and expects to complete its work before the end of the year. The group is composed of representatives from my Department, the Departments of Health and Children, Education and Science, Environment and Local Government and Finance, Dublin Corporation and the County and City Managers Association. The terms of reference for the working group follow.

To examine and report on the school meals scheme with a view to: (a) identifying its objectives; (b) considering the extent to which these objectives remain valid and compatible with the mission and the current strategy of the Department; (c) evaluating the extent to which these objectives have been achieved; (d) establishing the level and trend of (a) the cost and (b) the staffing resources associated with the scheme activity; (e) defining the outputs associated with the scheme's activity and identifying the level and trend of those outputs; (f) commenting on how efficiently and effectively the scheme has achieved the objectives; (g) evaluating the degree to which the objectives warrant the allocation of public resources on a current on-going basis; (h) examining the scope for alternative policy and-or organisational approaches to achieving the objectives on a more efficient and effective basis: (i) specifying suitable performance indicators which can be used to monitor and evaluate the scheme in the future.