Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. It would be dangerous for me to tell a Monaghan woman how to spend money wisely, but we do not want to be pennywise and pound-foolish here. Our nation's children are the most precious thing we have, and we want to ensure we get a good meal into them. We have started in the correct place, namely, in disadvantaged communities and in DEIS schools, but like the Minister, I would like to see that rolled out throughout the country.

I certainly know that both myself and my missus would be very glad not to have to deal with the bloody lunch boxes every day, which would be another attendant benefit. I fully support that ultimate goal but, as I said, I want to make sure that when the State has the children, we feed them but make sure we feed them well. Let us make sure that we are not just penny-pinching and achieve what I think this programme really can achieve.

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