Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2015
193. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will continue to provide funding towards school lunches in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6850/15]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations which benefits over 207,000 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 scheme through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects. Despite pressure on the social protection budget, the Government allocated an additional €2 million for the school meals programme in 2015, providing a total allocation of €39 million.
The additional €2 million allocated to the school meals programme will be used to increase payments to existing schools which are part of the Department of Education and Skill's initiative for disadvantaged schools 'Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools', (DEIS), with a focus on the provision of breakfast clubs. The Department is currently considering options regarding the allocation of the additional funding.
The school referred to by the Deputy, is a DEIS school, and has received over €239,725 in total funding under the school meals local projects scheme since 2005 and was allocated funding of €18,146 for the current academic year. The Department advised the school of the allocation for the current academic year in August 2014 which has issued payment by way of two instalments, the first issued in August 2014 and the second instalment of €11,089 issued recently in January 2015.
The Department is not aware of the funding situation as advised by the Deputy and will be engaging with the school directly.
