Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 63, 65, 75, 76 and 80 together.

The objective of the school meals programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and additional educational achievement.

It is my overriding ambition that every child born today will be able to benefit from a hot school meal when they start school. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children, are now eligible for funding. This is a very positive outcome considering that the scheme involved just 30 schools at pilot stage when I started expanding it. I am committed to continuing to expand the hot school meals programme and building further on its significant extension in recent years. The roll-out of the programme to all remaining DEIS primary and special schools began in September 2023. However, I am committed to expanding the programme further. All remaining primary schools were contacted last year and requested to submit an expression-of-interest form if interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Expressions of interest were received from over 900 primary schools in respect of 150,000 children. These schools have now been invited to participate in the hot school meals programme from April 2024. If all these schools participate, it will result in a total of 1,600 schools and 267,000 children participating.

A number of schools have been in touch with me to say that they would like to exercise their option to participate. There will also be an opportunity for all other primary schools that have subsequently expressed an interest to do so formally later this year, which will increase the numbers further.

Last year, I published an independent evaluation of the school meals programme. It sets out the positive impact the programme is having on children's education and well-being. The key findings were as follows. There is an overwhelming consensus among all participants in the evaluation that the programme is effective, and there is strong support for its extension. Overall, parents were very supportive of it. Most parents suggested their child had an improved attitude towards food, highlighting the benefits of the programme in encouraging healthy eating. Students, in their responses, praised the taste and nutritional quality of the food. Students were over twice as likely to express positive, rather than negative, feelings towards the programme. Data from principals showed that their views on the nutritional values, quality and portion sizes of the meals provided were favourable. Most principals indicated the programme improved physical health, attendance and performance.

In March 2021, my Department published the hot school meals pilot project report, having carried out a pilot project across the country. This research was carried out to understand the experience of being involved in the pilot project from the perspective of parents, teachers, principals and food suppliers. The key findings were as follows. Overall, hot meals rated highly in terms of quality, choice, portion sizes, dietary requirements and nutritional value. The vast majority of the combined total of parents, teachers and principals rated each of these aspects positively, with around a third giving a rating of excellent. Some 66% of teachers said the pilot project had a positive impact on children's diet, while over half said it positively impacted behaviour, attentiveness and psychological well-being. Some 80% of parents, teachers, SNAs and principals rated the nutritional value of the food as excellent or good, and overall the hot meals rated highly in terms of quality, choice, portion sizes, dietary requirements and nutritional value, with over a third giving a rating of excellent for each category. Over a third of parents said the hot meals pilot project had a very positive impact on their children's attendance at school, physical health and psychological well-being, while the majority of parents said the pilot project had a positive impact in each of these three areas. Overall, suppliers felt the schools were very satisfied with the quality of the food provided. Most actively sought feedback on the meals from schools to help them improve and refine their menus, and suppliers felt that, by the time the schools closed, they had strong menus, with plenty of choice available.

The nutritional standards for school meals were developed by a working group led by those behind the health and well-being programme in the Department of Health, in consultation with Safefood and those behind the Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme in the Health Service Executive. Expenditure on unhealthy food items is deducted from the following year's funding allocation. In addition, the Department has undertaken an on-site inspection programme since 2012 to ensure the scheme rules are being adhered to.

Schools are responsible for choosing their own meals supplier on the open market in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with public procurement rules. Under tender documentation, and as stipulated by the schools procurement unit, the menu is to accommodate those with food intolerances and allergies, and diets from lactose-free and vegetarian to gluten-free, for example.

The Deputies have asked specifically about Cork and Kerry. In 2022–23, 28 schools in Cork were operating the hot school meals scheme, benefiting 6,988 pupils at a cost of €3,627,664. In 2023–2024, 36 schools have been operating the hot school meals scheme, benefiting 7,856 pupils at a cost of €4.5 million.

In County Kerry, this year to date a total of 34 schools have been operating the hot meals scheme, benefiting 3,854 pupils at a cost of €2.1 million. A tabular statement listing schools in counties Cork and Kerry currently in the hot school meals scheme in 2023–2024 has been made available to the Deputies. I trust that clarifies the matter.

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