Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The school meals programme operated by the Department provides funding towards the provision of food services for disadvantaged children through two schemes. The first is the statutory urban school meals scheme, operated by local authorities and part-financed by this Department. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects.

The allocation for the school referred to by the Deputy, under the school meals local projects scheme, for the 2011/12 year is €38,304. This allocation is the same as that provided for the 2010/11 year when funding was allocated for the provision of a light lunch for 152 children. As the budget allocation for the school meals programme has not increased in recent years, it is not possible at this time to adjust the level of funding provided to individual schools irrespective of a change in the school enrolment. Applications for increased funding under the school meals local projects scheme are being retained on file by the Department and may be considered for additional funding at a future date, should such additional funding for the scheme become available