Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The 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.

The Hot School Meal option of the programme was introduced in 2019 and is currently only available in primary schools. My immediate priority has been to bring primary schools into the scheme so that any child born today will have a hot meal when they start school.

Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the Hot School Meal option. I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years. In this regard, I have rolled out the Hot School Meals to all DEIS primary and Special schools from September 2023. I have also extended the Hot School Meals to a further 900 Primary schools from April 8^th 2024. The remaining primary schools have since been contacted to express an interest in joining the scheme from September 2024.

Secondary schools in the DEIS scheme prior to 2022 qualify for a breakfast or snack and a lunch or dinner. Newly designated DEIS secondary schools qualify for a cold lunch option. Any additional measures to expand the coverage of other meal options to new DEIS secondary schools would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

My officials advise me that the school referred to by the Deputy is currently in receipt of a breakfast and cold lunch option for the full cohort of pupils.

I trust this clarifies the matter.