Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2024
411. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of DEIS band 1 schools refused funding for a breakfast club for the school years 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively; the number of these in each county, in tabular form; and the rationale for same. [22887/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding.
Funding under the school meals programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided.
In July 2022, I announced that the access to the hot school meal option would be extended to the 282 newly designated DEIS primary schools and to the cold lunch option to the 38 newly designated DEIS secondary schools from September, benefitting some 60,000 children. This allowed all pupils in the new DEIS schools to avail of one substantial meal for the additional budget provided.
In the 2023/2024 school year, six DEIS Urban Band 1 schools were declined funding for a breakfast club as they were all schools newly designated as DEIS in 2022 and are solely eligible either for a hot meal (if they are a primary school) or a cold lunch (if they are a post-primary school). The application process for 2024/2025 is not open yet.
Any school that has any questions in relation to their applications for funding for any of the meal options under the School Meals Programme can contact officials of my Department, at school.meals@welfare.ie, and they will clarify any queries that they may have and advise them of the options available to them.
The number of the Urban DEIS Band 1 schools by county that applied for a breakfast club and were not eligible for funding for the 2023/2024 school year is provided in the following table.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Number of DEIS Urban Band 1 schools declined Breakfast Club funding - 2023/2024
|
County |
Number of Schools |
|
Carlow |
1 |
|
Cork |
1 |
|
Kerry |
1 |
|
Limerick |
2 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
