Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I am glad to have had the opportunity to raise this matter. I raised it yesterday with the Taoiseach during Questions on Policy and Legislation and I have submitted a number of parliamentary questions on it. While I welcome the expansion of DEIS schools, which is positive, I am concerned that we do not seem to have allocated any funding in the budget for those extra schools that are being brought into the school meals programme.

This is a targeted measure. We have recently been discussing the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of food is going to increase and mortgage interest rates will probably go up as well. It is a challenging time for people's personal finances. We have seen the benefit of the targeted measures the Government has introduced over the last 12 months, both in the previous budget and the emergency measures that were introduced. We have seen how those targeted measures have worked. This is an investment in children and their welfare to improve their education. Getting a meal during the day while at school helps children's attention and helps them concentrate so there are educational benefits as well as nutritional benefits. I am glad the Minister of State will take this back to the Minister. The Taoiseach understood clearly what I said yesterday and I think both the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Education have got the message from me as well. I hope we will see progress on this issue.

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