asked the Minister for Supplies whether he has received an application from the School Meals Committee of the Carlow Urban District Council for permission to purchase supplies of cocoa for the provision of school meals under the auspices of the council, and whether having regard to the desirability of continuing the school meals scheme he will arrange to issue permission to the School Meals Committee to purchase the required quantity of cocoa.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Carlow School Meals Committee.
The answer to the first part of the Deputy's question is in the affirmative. The application was for permission to purchase cocoa required in connection with the school meals scheme at the Christian Brothers' School, Carlow, to which institution the council appears to have extended the scheme, involving a supply of cocoa in September, 1941, some months after it became necessary, because of scarcity, to restrict the distribution of available cocoa supplies.
Deliveries of cocoa are restricted to institutions which were supplied with cocoa during the year 1940. As the scheme was not in operation at the school in question during that year, I regret that I cannot see my way to alter the decision already conveyed refusing the application.
Will the Minister undertake to give some quantity of cocoa to this committee for the purpose of continuing this meals scheme?
In so far as this school meals scheme applied to other institutions in 1940, the committee are already entitled to purchase cocoa.
They require 50 lbs. of cocoa to operate the scheme.
They extended the scheme to another school although they knew that cocoa supplies were so limited that a rationing scheme was in operation. The committee would be well advised to base their schemes on some commodity not so scarce as cocoa.