Vol. 509 No. 3
11 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the role of nutrition in education disadvantage; the extent to which nutrition plays a part in his policy against education disadvantage; his views on the recommendation of a recent report that this Department should assume responsibility for the school meals scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20187/99]
Clearly, nutrition is vitally important to the health of children and is of particular significance in areas designated as disadvantaged. Undernourished children or children in poor health are unlikely to be in a position to take full advantage of the education system. While my Department responds to educational disadvantage through various schemes, the Departments of Health and Children and Social and Community and Family Affairs have responsibility in areas relating to malnutrition.
The Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs engaged consultants to carry out a review of the schools meals scheme and has forwarded a copy of the consultants' report to my Department. A working group comprising officials from both Departments, together with representatives from the Department of Health and Children, the Department of the Environment and Local Government, the Department of Finance and Dublin Corporation has been established to review the existing scheme. The first meeting of this working group was held on 22 September 1999.
In carrying out the evaluation of the school meals scheme, the working group will also consult many other relevant bodies. It is anticipated that it will take seven to eight months to complete this process. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that in order to address this issue properly, initiatives should wait until such time as the working group has been afforded an opportunity to carry out the review and make its recommendations.
Another review group.
In a scheme initiated by Athy UDC in tandem with local primary schools grants were made to assist in combating school attendance difficulties. Will the Minister reimburse the UDC the cost of this scheme? Will all UDCs and county councils in relevant areas be given grant assistance to help deal with this problem? It is a problem in many areas. It is seven months on and we are facing another winter. How will this problem be solved in the short-term?
A proper scheme needs to be put in place. As Deputy Wall said, assistance is being delivered through local authorities, which has been the case for many years. An interdepartmental review is taking place to examine which is the best Department to administer and deliver this scheme. This is an important issue which cannot be decided overnight as it has resource implications for the Departments concerned. It is also linked to an integrated response to school attendance, early school leavers etc.
It seems the Minister is bogged down in yet another evaluation process. Does he realise the report to which he referred was produced in April 1998? When I questioned the Minister on it in January he told me the Department was to meet officials from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs shortly. He now tells us that meeting took place in the past month. Is he aware that very large numbers of children from disadvantaged areas are going to school unable to participate in education because they are hungry? Is he aware that many school principals say the most significant change they could make would be to introduce hot nutritious meals in schools? Is he aware that today and every day for the past 18 months while he has sat on this report, children have gone hungry and have been unable to benefit from education? Will he give this matter his urgent attention and stop the nonsense about evaluation processes and consultants' reports? We have enough reports. The report recommended that the Minister take responsibility for nutrition in schools.
There is a one minute time limit on supplementary questions.
Will he do that now?
This matter has been treated more urgently than it was in the past five years.
The Minister has been in Government for two years.
I have to treat Deputy Shorthall's anger and outrage with some degree of scepticism.
What has he done about it?
It is easy to articulate an outrage when the same outrage was not articulated when the Deputy's party was in Government.
The Minister has had two years to make a difference and he has done damn all.
I am quite prepared to deal with this issue but as the Deputy knows, principals have not gone on strike because of the schools meals scheme.
What did the Minister do?
Principals went on strike about other issues—
The Minister has done nothing.
—and the Deputy knows that.
The Minister has done nothing. Hundreds of children are hungry every day and the Minister has done nothing.
That is not true. Departments exist which are responsible for this.
What has the Minister done about it?
There is no point—
They said the Minister must take responsibility.
Only a group of consultants did.
That concludes Ordinary Questions. We must move on to Private Notice questions to the Minister for Health and Children in relation to emergency cover in hospitals in the event of the threatened nurses' strike.
