Promoting Good Nutrition through Healthy School Meals

In response to concern about the quality of children’s dietary intake and their school lunch choices, the Department of Education introduced compulsory nutritional standards for school lunches in 2005 and this was rolled out to all schools by autumn 2006. Nutritional standards for other food and drinks sold or served in schools came into effect in April 2008. As a result, all food and drink provided or sold in grant aided nursery, primary and post-primary schools should now meet the standards.

According to analysis by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), levels of obesity in children living in Northern Ireland are increasing year on year. It is estimated that, if no change is effected in obesity levels, the costs of obesity to Northern Ireland over the next twenty years would be £14.2 million in lost productivity, £90 million to DHSSPS in treating obesity related disease and a total lifetime economic cost through obesity related deaths of £340 million. Although healthy school meals cannot tackle obesity and other diet-related health problems in children on their own, they do make a vital contribution to the dietary intake of school children in Northern Ireland.

Our report will examine how well the Department and schools are meeting the new nutritional standards; the barriers that schools face in serving nutritious food and promoting a whole school approach to healthy eating, and will assess the adequacy of measures put in place to increase the uptake of school meals. It is anticipated that our report will be published in December 2010.

Contact:

Sean McKay(Director)
Tel: (028 9025 1075), Email sean.mckay@niauditoffice.gov.uk

Suzanne Walsh (Audit Manager)
Tel: (028 9025 4337), Email suzanne.walsh@niauditoffice.gov.uk

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Farm Nutrient Management Scheme

The Farm Nutrient Management Scheme was an agricultural grant scheme which operated between 2005 and 2008. It provided financial assistance to farmers towards the cost of building additional slurry and manure storage facilities. The scheme was a key support measure to help reduce water pollution from agricultural sources and comply with the 1991 EU Nitrates Directive. At its close, the cost of the scheme was some £121 million, making it the largest capital grant scheme ever run by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. .

Our examination will examine whether the Department developed an appropriate response to the problem and administered FNMS effectively. The study will focus on the reasons for introducing the scheme, the extent of grant take-up and its impact in reducing water pollution from farms in Northern Ireland.

We expect to publish this report in 2010.

Contact:
Robert Hutcheson (Director)

Tel: 028 9025 1024; Email: robert.hutcheson@niauditoffice.gov.uk

Billy Fitzsimons (Audit Manager)

Tel: 028 9025 1092; Email: billy.fitzsimons@niauditoffice.gov.uk

Creating Effective Partnerships between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector

The Voluntary and Community Sector is involved in a wide range of roles including providing advice, advocacy, campaigning and the delivery of services. In Northern Ireland, the sector comprises 4,700 active organisations. In 2006-07, the sector received some £260m from government, 45 per cent of the sector’s total income.

The NI Executive’s 2008-2011 Programme for Government emphasises the importance of partnership working between the Assembly and all sectors - public, private, voluntary and community - for the delivery of the Executive’s strategic goals and priorities.

This report will review developments in key aspects of the relationship between government and the Voluntary and Community Sector and also provide illustrations of how that relationship is working in practice, with the aim of giving renewed impetus for improvement in the dissemination and implementation of good practice. The areas covered by the report include the relationship between government and the sector; the role of voluntary and community organisations in delivering public services and the mechanisms for funding the sector. We aim to publish in summer 2010.