Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
995. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the costs associated with the extension of the school meals programme to cover youth services, early years settings and after-school programmes as part of a pilot programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10960/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, 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 entry to the School Meals Scheme has been confined to DEIS schools in addition to schools identified as having levels of concentrated disadvantage that would benefit from access to the School Meals Programme.
Prior to the introduction of DEIS in 2005, all schools and organisations that were part of one of a number of Department of Education and Skills’ initiatives for disadvantaged schools were eligible to participate in the programme, which included Breaking the Cycle, Giving Children an Even Break, the Disadvantaged Area Scheme, Home School Community Liaison and the School Completion Programme. These schools and organisations have continued to remain in the scheme.
The funding currently provided by the Department to youth services, early years settings and after-school programmes is provided in table 1 of the Appendix. The Department does not have a role in terms of oversight of the programmes referred to by the deputy and overall participant numbers would need to be established to calculate the cost of a pilot programme.
Any decision to extend the current provision would need to be considered in a budgetary context. However, I am advised that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in planning a pilot meal programme in Early Learning and Care under First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028.
Appendix
Table 1 - Total allocation to youth services, early years settings and after-school programmes in 2019/2020
|
Organisation type |
Number of organisations funded |
Children benefitting |
Total allocation |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Youth Services |
525 |
16 |
€90,000 |
|
Créche/childcare/pre-school |
5,436 |
125 |
€1,240,000 |
|
Afterschool services |
14 |
520 |
€860,000 |
|
Schools and Organisations funded for Afterschool Clubs |
264 |
8,446 |
€770,000 |
