Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:127. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of primary schools that provide school meals by county in tabular form. [42184/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 9 December 2020
Ceisteanna (127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135)
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:128. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of post-primary schools that provide school meals by county in tabular form. [42185/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:129. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of special schools that provide school meals by county in tabular form. [42186/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:130. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of alternative education settings including Youthreach and related schemes that provide school meals by county in tabular form. [42187/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:131. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools that provide school meals by county in tabular form. [42188/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:132. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of primary schools that provide school meals. [42189/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:133. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of post-primary schools that provide school meals. [42190/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:134. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of special schools that provide school meals. [42191/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:135. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of alternative education settings including Youthreach and related schemes that provide school meals. [42192/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 to 135, inclusive, together.
The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children. The objective of the programme 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 entry to the school meals programme has been confined to DEIS schools in addition to schools identified by Department of Education and Skills as having levels of concentrated disadvantage that would benefit from access to the 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 programme. Participation in the scheme is entirely voluntary with the onus being on the individual eligible schools to make an application. Schools and organisations must reapply for funding in advance of each school year and are required to submit detailed records at the end of the school year. Funding is based on a rate of payment per meal, per child, per day.
The number of schools, primary schools, post-primary schools, special schools and alternative education settings that provide school meals by county in tabular form is in table 1 of the attached Tabular Statement.
The percentage of primary schools, post-primary schools, special schools and alternative education settings that provide school meals in tabular form is in table 2 of the attached Tabular Statement.
Table 1 – Number providing School Meals by County
|
Primary Schools |
Post-Primary Schools |
Special Schools |
Alternative Education Settings |
Number of Schools |
|
|
Carlow |
19 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
32 |
|
Cavan |
13 |
3 |
1 |
11 |
28 |
|
Clare |
20 |
6 |
2 |
6 |
34 |
|
Cork |
54 |
26 |
10 |
27 |
117 |
|
Donegal |
122 |
20 |
2 |
9 |
153 |
|
Dublin |
189 |
77 |
17 |
80 |
363 |
|
Galway |
48 |
13 |
5 |
4 |
70 |
|
Kerry |
37 |
8 |
3 |
11 |
59 |
|
Kildare |
14 |
7 |
1 |
2 |
24 |
|
Kilkenny |
7 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
22 |
|
Laois |
13 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
18 |
|
Leitrim |
12 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
|
Limerick |
26 |
10 |
3 |
12 |
51 |
|
Longford |
11 |
7 |
1 |
2 |
21 |
|
Louth |
15 |
10 |
1 |
5 |
31 |
|
Mayo |
75 |
17 |
4 |
1 |
97 |
|
Meath |
11 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
19 |
|
Monaghan |
16 |
6 |
0 |
9 |
31 |
|
Offaly |
20 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
27 |
|
Roscommon |
21 |
5 |
1 |
5 |
32 |
|
Sligo |
22 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
31 |
|
Tipperary |
31 |
11 |
3 |
9 |
54 |
|
Waterford |
14 |
6 |
2 |
9 |
31 |
|
Westmeath |
13 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
26 |
|
Wexford |
34 |
11 |
2 |
8 |
55 |
|
Wicklow |
11 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
19 |
Table 2 – Percentage providing School Meals
|
Total Number |
Number providing School Meals |
% Providing School Meals |
|
|
Primary Schools |
3105 |
868 |
27.95% |
|
Post-Primary Schools |
722 |
283 |
39.20% |
|
Special Schools |
134 |
76 |
56.72% |
|
Alternative Educations Settings |
Not available* |
234 |
Not Available |
* The total number of these types of organisations is not held.