Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2430. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is discretion which can be exercised in a case (details supplied); if not, if there is an appeals process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33342/18]
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. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
In recent years priority for new applications for funding had been given to schools which are part of the DEIS programme. 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.
In 2018 the Department liaised with DES with a view to including additional non-DEIS schools in the scheme, deemed in need of support under the school meals programme, from September. The individual schools were contacted and invited to participate in the scheme.
The Department has no record of receiving an application from Kilmallock Community Childcare Services Ltd., T/A Abbey Kids. However, as the organisation is not a school, regrettably, they cannot currently be considered for funding under the school meals scheme at this time.
The school meals (local projects) scheme is a non-statutory scheme and is not covered under social welfare legislation. It is one of a number of social welfare schemes which operates on an administrative basis. Administrative schemes are not appealable under social welfare legislation. To extend the scheme to crèches such as Kilmallock Community Childcare Services Ltd. could only be considered in the overall budgetary context.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
