Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)

I have a question on hot school meals. I welcome that the Department is looking at the nutritional value of those meals. I recently visited a school that had brought in local providers. I was quite hungry at the time, but they looked incredibly nice. I visited schools in England. They were resourced with their own canteens and local staff, so they were not relying on private businesses. I would love to see that model rolled out here so that, in addition to ensuring the food is local and nutritious, it provides employment for people.

The other element is that lots of children in this country do not have kitchen tables and do not sit around the table together to eat as a family or with other people they live with. The social aspect of eating is really important. Will the Minister and her Department look at resourcing, whether through retrofitting or future builds, school canteens in every school and food being provided in those directly?