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

I thank the Deputy for raising this. 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 extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, 2,600 schools and organisations covering 443,000 children are eligible for funding. The hot school meal option of the programme was introduced in 2019.

Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the hot school meal option and the programme has grown significantly in recent years with more than 2,000 primary schools now eligible to receive funding for hot meals. This is a very positive outcome considering that the scheme involved just 30 schools at pilot stage when I was appointed. I have visited many schools and witnessed first-hand the positive effect that the provision of hot meals has on students and staff in the schools. This very positive response was confirmed in a review of the scheme completed by the Department. I am therefore committed to continuing to expand the school meals programme and encouraging greater take-up by schools.

I have, as the Deputy will be aware, rolled out hot school meals to all DEIS primary schools from September 2023. In addition, all remaining non-DEIS primary schools were contacted last year and requested to indicate their interest in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Expressions of interests were received from more than 900 primary schools in respect of 150,000 children who were then invited to participate in the programme from 8 April 2024. All of the schools who submitted completed applications have been awarded funding. My Department has contacted the remaining primary schools who have not yet joined the hot school meals progrramme asking them to submit expressions of interest in commencing the provision of hot school meals. I will review the response and include more schools in 2025 subject to available budgetary funding.

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