Mr. Pádraig McCabe:

I found this meeting very positive. From what I can gather, everyone seems to be on the same page in some respects and that is positive. It is heartening to hear of moves towards joined-up thinking in all Departments and our organisation is supportive of that.

The key issue from our point of view is focusing on the problem in terms of ensuring that if we are going to have a strategic response, then we should make clear that it is unacceptable in current times to have any child in school who is hungry. Whether that means providing a glass of milk or whatever to every child, it is something we need to consider seriously. We commend the progress that has been made. It is down to the increases in the budget for social protection as well as the commitment across the board in terms of providing the necessary infrastructure.

We are at the start. When it comes to resolving major issues, it can be difficult to know where to start. A good starting point is that no child in a school in Ireland should ever be hungry. It is simple: no child in school in this country should ever be hungry. If we start from that point, we can build on it.