Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
1209. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the €1.7 million allocated to school meals for newly designated DEIS schools as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the €1.7 million allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds have been spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24317/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children at a total cost of €54 million in 2018 representing an increase of €6.5 million over the previous year. €1.7 million will be allocated to provide supports under the school meals programme to additional schools from September 2018.
The Department was a member of the Inter-Departmental Advisory Group for the Review of the DEIS Programme undertaken by the Department of Education and Skills (DES), following which DEIS Plan 2017 was published in February 2017. The Plan sets out targets and actions aimed at improving the educational outcome for pupils at greatest risk of not reaching their full potential by virtue of their socio-economic circumstances.
Some 240 additional schools, including DEIS and non-DEIS schools, were identified to receive support under the school meals scheme from September 2017 in consultation with DES, which has developed a more robust and responsive framework for assessing individual schools levels of concentrated disadvantage as part of this process. Some 200 schools joined the scheme during the 2017/2018 academic year. This ensured that the scheme continued to target those children most in need of this support.
The Department is currently liaising with DES with a view to including additional schools in the school meals scheme from September 2018 and when details are available individual schools will be contacted and invited to participate in the scheme.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
