Vol. 509 No. 3
135 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if community workshops will be included in eligibility for the schools meals scheme as part of the current review into the scheme; and when a decision will be made in this regard. [20234/99]
The school meals scheme is a statutory scheme which assists in the provision of free school meals to certain children attending national schools in specified areas. My Department has no function in initiating school meals programmes in schools. This Department's function is confined to reimbursing local authorities up to a maximum of 50 per cent of their expenditure on the provision of such meals and approving participation in the scheme.
There are no proposals to extend the scheme to include community workshops which already receive capitation fees, training allowances, and assistance towards travel expenses from the Department of Health and Children. Widening the scope of the scheme would result in increased expenditure for both my Department and the local authorities which could only be considered in a budgetary context.
However, a review of the school meals scheme has recently commenced as part of my Department's series of programme expenditure evaluations and the administration of the scheme and how it should be targeted will be examined in that context.
