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Departmental Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Ceisteanna (937, 968, 1010)

Cathal Crowe

Ceist:

937. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of students who benefitted from the school meals scheme in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1476/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Michael McNamara

Ceist:

968. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of students who benefit from the school meals scheme in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, inclusive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1531/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Violet-Anne Wynne

Ceist:

1010. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of students that benefit from the school meals scheme in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1659/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 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.

A budget of €65.1 million has been provided for the scheme in 2021.

As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020.  The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 students for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities.  

Budget 2021 provided an additional €5.5m to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option.  Invitations for expressions of interest were issued to 705 primary schools (612 DEIS and 93 non-DEIS) in November 2020.  A total of 281 (256 DEIS and 25 non-DEIS) expressions of interest were received in respect of 52,148 children.

The 35,000 places were allocated to each local authority area based on the number of children applied by local authority as a percentage of the total number.  A minimum of one school for each Local Authority area was selected.  Thereafter, a process of random selection was used for each area.

Budget 2022 is providing for the hot school meals to be extended from January 2022 to the 81 DEIS schools that submitted an expression of interest but were not selected in the extension to 35,000.

The number of students who benefitted from the school meals scheme in County Clare in each of the years 2016 to 2021 is contained in Table 1 of the attached tabular statement.

For ease of reference, details of the schools and organisations benefitting from the school meals scheme in the 2021/2022 academic year are contained in Table 2.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Table 1: The number of students benefitting from the school meals scheme in County Clare from 2016 to 2021

Academic Year

Number of Students

2016 / 2017

3,721

2017  /2018

4,079

2018 / 2019

4,304

2019 / 2020

4,269

2020 / 2021

3,942

2021 / 2022

4,140

Table 2: Schools and Organisations benefitting from the school meals scheme in the 2021/2022 academic year

Roll Number/Organisation Identifier

 Name

Number Of Children

07315N

Holy Family Snr

305

17020A

Quilty NS

30

18526O

Ballycar NS

33

18753C

Saint Marys NS Lahinch

149

19233E

St Clares Special School

61

19559L

Chriost Ri

221

19999Q

Gaelscoil Ui Choimin

64

20041C

Convent Of Mercy National School

307

20086B

Ennis Educate Together NS

80

62000W

Mary Immaculate Secondary School

253

70840Q

Ennistymon Vocational School

222

91448K

Kilrush Community School

396

EO -000000068

Loughgraney Kids Corner Ltd

49

EO -000000070

East Clare Youthreach

13

EO -000000072

Obair Community Creche

50

EO -000000075

Kilrush Youthreach

26

EO -000000153

Kilmaley Community Childcare Creche

60

03928D

Mullach NS

55

14622N

Eidhneach NS

154

15221A

Annagh NS

99

16908S

Sixmilebridge NS

150

16930L

Scoil An Sraith SN

17

17957N

Holy Family Junior School

153

19414I

St Annes SS

90

20078C

Sn Realt Na Mara

73

20127M

Scoil Na Maighdine Mhuire

234

20245S

Ennistymon National School

59

20313J

Mol An Óige Community National School

112

70830N

Ennis Community College

487

70880F

St Joseph's Community College

138

Total Students

 

4,140

Question No. 938 answered with Question No. 934.
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