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School Meals Programme

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 June 2022

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Ceisteanna (153)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Ceist:

153. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to increase the per child payment to suppliers of school meals which has not been increased since 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28336/22]

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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 €68.1 million has been provided for the scheme in 2022.

Funding under the school meals (local projects) scheme can be provided for breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, hot meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided e.g. €1.40 per child per day where a cold lunch club is being provided, €1.90 per child per day where a dinner club is being provided and €2.90 per child per day where a Hot Meal club is being provided.  Dinner clubs provide a hot meal, but are different from the Hot Meals clubs, in that they tend to be provided by schools with onsite cooking facilities whereas food for Hot Meals clubs is cooked offsite and either delivered hot or reheated in the school.

I am committed to continuing to grow the hot school meals element of the school meals programme for DEIS schools and building further on the significant extension announced as part of Budget 2022.  In this regard, I have commissioned an evaluation of the school meals programme to be undertaken in 2022 where all elements of the programme, including the rates provided by meal type, will be reviewed.  This evaluation will be complete in November 2022 and will inform future policy decisions on the scheme.

Any extension of the school meals programme or increase in funding provided will need to be considered as part of the budgetary process.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the deputy. 

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