Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2013
423. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Social Protection where the additional 100 breakfast clubs, as announced in budget 2014, will be located; the way the scheme is administered generally; if schools may apply to be included in the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45706/13]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department. The second is the school meals local projects schemes through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects. The Government has allocated an additional €2 million for the school meals programme in 2013, providing a total allocation of €37 million.
Under the school meals local projects scheme, funding is provided towards breakfast/snack, lunch and/or dinner clubs. In the academic year 2012/13 there were approximately 550 breakfast/snack clubs funded under the school meals local projects scheme out of a total of over 2,000 food clubs. Priority for funding under the school meals locals projects scheme is given to schools which are part of the Department of Education & Skills’ initiative for disadvantaged schools, ‘Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools’ (DEIS). Schools can apply to the Department to participate in the scheme.
In addition to the schools meals programme, the Department, through its child and social inclusion policy division, provided funding of €22,500 in the form of a social inclusion grant to Healthy Food for All (HFfA) in 2013. The purpose of this funding is to support programme activities aimed at improving access to a healthy and affordable diet. The HFfA's breakfast club initiative is one of a number of programme activities co-ordinated nationally by HFfA to address food poverty in local schools and communities. This food poverty initiative adds value to the Government’s investment in the school meals programme.
In Budget 2014, I announced the provision of additional breakfast clubs to support school going children in disadvantaged areas. Officials in the Department are examining how best this can be progressed in 2014.
