John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

One of the starkest comments made at the conference of the Irish Primary Principals' Network last week related to the fact that teachers are encountering an increasing number of children who are coming to school hungry. One in five principals surveyed indicated that children are arriving at school without having eaten breakfast. This will come as no surprise to anyone in the House. There is an alarming rate of poverty among children. What is frightening is the figure contained in statistics released by the CSO last week which indicates that a further 35,000 children have fallen into the poverty trap. The increase in poverty has brought the problem of hungry schoolchildren to critical levels. These are not my words; they are the words of many school principals who discussed this problem on the radio last week. Teachers are reporting an increase in the number of children who are unable to concentrate and an exceptional rise in recent years in the number of pupils who have difficulties with literacy and numeracy.

While the school meals programme operated by the Department of Social Protection is doing some good, it addresses only a fraction of the problem. When I was elected, I made a promise to speak out and represent the many people who cannot speak for themselves. There are now 270,000 children in Ireland who suffer some degree of poverty and it is on their behalf that I speak today. Why am I doing so, particularly as I used my first appearance on Leaders' Questions also to raise the issue of poverty? Anyone who listened to a radio interview with Ms Maria Doyle, a school principal from Waterford, last week could not but be shocked by what she said about her experiences. I met Ms Doyle on Monday. I do not become distressed very easily, but having spoken to her for an hour I did become distressed.

Former Ministers and taoisigh - one of whom has abandoned Ireland and is living in Florida - are in receipt of huge pensions. Is this, which illustrates the inequality in our society, not reprehensible, offensive and shocking? In light of what principals and teachers, particularly those in primary schools, have stated, will the Taoiseach consider providing additional supports, including a further roll-out of the breakfast club scheme? Will he also consider the possibility of providing food to after-school homework clubs? This is what the principals and teachers to whom I refer are seeking. Would the Taoiseach consider establishing a national programme of emergency food aid to deal with the rapidly increasing numbers of children who are going to school hungry?

See this speech in context