asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is intended to provide hot lunches for primary school students who travel to school by school bus and if he will make a statement on the matter.

As I have already stated in the House, I set up a working group some time ago to carry out a review of the school meals scheme. I expect to receive the report of the review shortly.

Would the Minister not agree that primary school-going children, especially during the winter months, should have a hot lunch available in schools? Is the Minister further aware that an initiative is needed at governmental level to implement such a scheme and that the implementation of such a scheme by local authorities is not really the answer? Will he now undertake to implement such a scheme for these children in the coming school year?

I do not accept that a scheme administered by the local authorities is not the best scheme. An effective scheme administered by local authorities would probably be better than a nationally administered scheme. That is one of the matters being considered by the review body.

In view of the fact that local authorities are confined to the finance at their disposal, would the Minister not consider that a Minister with full responsibility for such a scheme would ensure uniformity of administration far more easily than local authorities?

Uniformity would not be necessary. There is an infinite variety of circumstances prevailing throughout the country and what might be urgently needed in one area might not be at all appropriate in another.

If a Minister had responsibility for the scheme he could monitor each county and have the scheme properly implemented.

The Fine Gael Party should make up their minds whether they want more authority given to local authorities.