Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)

I recently saw that €330 million was allocated in the budget to the hot school meals programme. That is a huge amount of expenditure and it is a new item of expenditure in the budget. Yet, across Cavan and Monaghan, it is now becoming clear that the new bureaucracy surrounding the serving of these meals is pushing providers out of the scheme altogether. In recent weeks, I have been contacted by teachers who have been formally instructed by their unions not to place pre-prepared meals in school ovens. This follows a wave of providers withdrawing and leaving hundreds of schools uncertain about whether their pupils will continue to receive a hot meal every day. The new food safety and procurement guidelines issued by the schools procurement unit, SPU, and the FSAI have dramatically raised the bar for compliance. Many schools are now expected to have dedicated food-heating rooms and for smaller or rural schools these demands are just not possible; they are unrealistic. The Joint Committee on Education and Youth heard that 112 schools have been affected by the withdrawal of just two suppliers. At the same time, there are hundreds of schools across the country that have chosen not to participate at all. No child should arrive to school hungry but I know the quality of some of these meals leaves a lot to be desired. It is not good; it is poor. A lot of food provided is dumped straight into the bin by parents when children come home from school and parents end up packing lunches for the children anyway. Will the Government revisit the current guidelines, consult properly with teachers and school staff, and ensure the programme is workable for schools? The Government must also ensure quality is not sacrificed. Many providers, though not all, are receiving substantial funding for food that simply is not up to standard, and that is unacceptable. To get value for this investment, it cannot be just a tick-box exercise. I want to see children who need a hot meal receive appetising and nutritious food and that is not happening currently. We must always ensure the taxpayer, who is footing the bill for these schemes, gets value for money.