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Food Poverty.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004

Tuesday, 15 June 2004

Questions (37, 38)

Joan Burton

Question:

87 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on the recent St. Vincent de Paul, Crosscare, and the Combat Poverty Agency report on food poverty here; the efforts her Department has made to ensure that society’s most vulnerable have access to healthy and nutritious food; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17699/04]

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Michael Ring

Question:

104 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent of the problem of food poverty here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17646/04]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 104 together.

The recently published study entitled Food Poverty and Policy is an informative and challenging piece of research and will add considerably to awareness of this issue. The study focuses on the relationship between patterns of food consumption, socio-economic circumstance, and issues of affordability and access to food.

In seeking to quantify the extent of food poverty in Ireland, the study draws on earlier research undertaken by the Economic and Social Research Institute. It notes that a high proportion of those living in consistent poverty experienced deprivation in relation to the three food related basic deprivation indicators. However, the proportion of individuals going without each item declined significantly between 1994 and 2001, reflecting the fall in consistent poverty generally, which is down from 15.1% in 1994 to 5.2% in 2001.

The study found that socially disadvantaged people: eat less well compared to those from socially advantaged groups; spend relatively more money on food; have difficulty accessing a variety of nutritionally balanced good quality and affordable foodstuffs; and are restricted by a combination of factors, including their dependants, personal preferences, access to shops and financial limitations, in maintaining a healthy diet.

The study recognises the crucial importance of school meals' provision in addressing food poverty among children. The school meals programme operated by my Department makes an important contribution to ensuring that school children receive better nutrition and contributes to improved school attendance and quality of learning. The current programme provides funding for the urban school meals scheme, which operates in conjunction with certain local authorities, as well as for a number of locally operated school meals projects in place in both urban and rural areas.

In 2003, €3.29 million was spent on the school meals programme. It is estimated that 382 schools, with a total of more than 50,650 pupils benefited from the urban scheme, while 347 schools and voluntary organisations received funding which benefited approximately 26,000 children under local school meals projects. Budget 2004 provided €6.08 million for the programme.

My Department is working with the Department of Education and Science to extend the school meals programme. In this regard the Department of Education and Science is using its schools completion programme and Giving Children an Even Break initiative to target disadvantaged schools. It is actively promoting the school meals programme through the local schools completion programme co-ordinators.

The range of recommendations advanced in the Food Poverty and Policy study will be carefully considered both by my Department and by other relevant Departments.

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