School Meals (Gaeltacht) Act, 1930

• Permanent Page URL

Number 23 of 1930.

SCHOOL MEALS (GAELTACHT) ACT, 1930.

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

SCHEDULE.

District Electoral Divisions Comprised in the Gaeltacht for the Purposes of this Act.

Number 23 of 1930.

SCHOOL MEALS (GAELTACHT) ACT, 1930.

AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE SUPPLYING OF MEALS TO CHILDREN ATTENDING NATIONAL SCHOOLS IN THE GAELTACHT. [8th July, 1930.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—

Definitions.

1.—In this Act—

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health;

the expression “board of health” means and includes a board of public health and a board of health and public assistance;

the expression “scheduled area” when used in relation to a board of health means such portions of the Gaeltacht as are included in the county health district of such board of health;

the expression “national school” means a public elementary day school for the time being recognised by the Minister for Education as a national school;

the expression “local financial year” means a period of twelve months ending on any 31st day of March;

the word “food” has the meaning assigned to it by the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, 1875 to 1907.

Extent of Gaeltacht.

2.—For the purposes of this Act but no further or otherwise the Gaeltacht shall be deemed to comprise only the several district electoral divisions mentioned in the Schedule to this Act.

Boards of health to whom this Act applies.

3.—This Act applies to every board of health whose county health district is wholly or partly situate in the Gaeltacht.

Provision of meals, etc.

4.—Every board of health to whom this Act applies may, subject to the provisions of this Act, provide meals for children attending national schools in the scheduled area of such board of health and for that purpose may do the following things:—

(a) provide food for such meals;

(b) provide such accommodation, apparatus, equipment and service as may be necessary for the preparation and distribution of such food;

(c) take such other steps as in the opinion of such board of health are necessary for or incidental to the provision of such meals.

Committees.

5.—(1) A board of health to whom this Act applies may from time to time appoint such and so many committees as they think proper for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties conferred and imposed on them by this Act which in the opinion of such board of health can be better or more conveniently exercised and performed by a committee.

(2) A committee appointed under this section by a board of health to whom this Act applies may, at the discretion of such board of health, consist exclusively of persons who are members of such board of health or partly of persons who are and partly of persons who are not members of such board of health.

(3) The acts of every committee of a board of health to whom this Act applies appointed under this section shall be subject to confirmation by such board of health save where such board of health, with, the sanction of the Minister, dispenses with the necessity for such confirmation.

Saving for parents of children.

6.—The parent or guardian of a child shall not, by reason of the provision under this Act of any meal for such child, be deprived of any franchise, right, or privilege or be subjected to any disability.

Non-liability of teacher.

7.—A teacher employed in a national school in the Gaeltacht shall not, as part of his duties as such teacher, be required to supervise or assist or to abstain from supervising or assisting in the provision of any meals under this Act.

Expenses of boards of health.

8.—All expenses incurred by a board of health to whom this Act applies in carrying this Act into effect shall, so far as such expenses are not met by grants by the Minister under this Act, be deemed to be general expenses incurred by them under the Public Health (Ireland) Acts, 1878 to 1919.

Payments in aid to boards of health.

9.—(1) The Minister may, out of moneys to be provided by the Oireachtas, pay, in respect of any local financial year and in accordance with regulations made under this Act, to a board of health to whom this Act applies and who provide meals during such year under and in accordance with this Act and regulations made thereunder a sum not exceeding whichever of the following amounts is the less towards the expenses incurred by such board of health in such year in providing food under this Act, that is to say:—

(a) one-half of such expenses, and

(b) a sum which bears to the sum of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) the same proportion as the number of children certified by the Minister for Education under this section to have attended national schools in the scheduled area of such board of health during the prescribed period for such year bears to the number of children certified by the said Minister to have attended national schools in the Gaeltacht during the said period.

(2) For the purposes of the certificates of the Minister for Education referred to in the foregoing sub-section the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:—

(a) the said Minister shall prescribe in relation to every local financial year a period of twelve months which shall be the prescribed period for such year, and

(b) the number of children attending any school or schools shall be ascertained and calculated in such manner as the said Minister shall think proper.

(3) For the purposes of this section the period commencing on the 1st day of October, 1930, and ending on the 31st day of March, 1931, shall be deemed to be a local financial year, but in the application of this section to that period the sum of £5,000 (five thousand pounds) shall be substituted in sub-section (1) for the sum of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds).

Expenses of Ministers.

10.—All expenses incurred by a Minister head of a Department of State in carrying this Act into execution shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Finance, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

Regulations.

11.—(1) The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, make regulations for all or any of the following purposes, that is to say:—

(a) securing the adequacy and efficiency of the arrangements made by boards of health for providing meals under this Act;

(b) prescribing the manner of accounting by boards of health in relation to expenses incurred by them in providing food under this Act;

(c) prescribing the times at which and the manner in which sums payable under this Act by the Minister to boards of health are to be paid.

(2) Every regulation made under this Act shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if either such House shall, within twenty-one days on which such House has sat after such regulation is laid before it, pass a resolution annulling such regulation, such regulation shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

Short title and commencement.

12.—(1) This Act may be cited as the School Meals (Gaeltacht) Act, 1930.

(2) This Act shall come into operation on the 1st day of October, 1930,

SCHEDULE.

District Electoral Divisions Comprised in the Gaeltacht for the Purposes of this Act.

In the County of Cork.

In the County of Donegal.

In the County of Galway.

In the County of Kerry.

In the County of Mayo.