Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will ask the school authorities to do so and maybe the Minister could flag it with the Department as well. They have struggled for a long time to pay the cook's wages. They get other funding that is meant to be for vital therapeutic services and they desperately need those services. It would be important for that funding to be used and not any of it to be paying for the cook's wages in any respect. Ideally going forward, the Department might look at certain flexibilities for special schools. Because of their needs and all the different needs the children would have, those companies may not be able to cater to them. Waste might be a factor as well.

Finally, I want to raise Ennistymon Community School again. I have mentioned it to the Minister previously. She said they could engage with the Department and maybe that has taken place. I know the Minister is doing her very best to roll out the scheme to all schools. It might be a backwards step if some pupils in one particular school were able to avail of the hot school meals programme but others were not.

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