Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address matters (details supplied) regarding the delivery of school meals during Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12838/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Government’s decision on school meals was announced on Thursday March 26th and detailed guidelines issued to schools to help them operate the School Meals Programme amid the extended Covid-19 restrictions. The guidelines were also published on the Department’s website.

In general, schools participating in the School Meals Programme are funded to provide school meals and the sourcing of a food supplier for these meals is arranged by the schools. 

Schools were asked to identify those pupils most in need and to contact parents to ask if they wished to avail of the service during the school closure period. Tusla Education Support Service staff liaised with Principals to ensure that children/families in need of the School Meals Programme were identified and supported. Schools were allowed to maintain the service during the Easter holidays in 2020 if they wished to do so.

Schools were asked to arrange a food package to be delivered to pupils. The type and range of food provided, as well as the method and logistics of supplying the food was decided by the individual schools.

A variety of delivery methods were available to schools. Some schools have availed of support available via TUSLA Education Support Service and others have availed of delivery arrangements via the local community and voluntary networks. Some food suppliers delivered directly to families and in some areas families collected the food packages directly from the school.

An Post agreed to facilitate delivery of non–perishable food packets on a complimentary basis for schools during the Covid 19 school closure period, where schools could not identify an alternative delivery method and within An Post capacity limits. The Department established a pre-booking system for schools who wished to use An Post and it has generally worked well. 85 to 100 schools have used this system.

To date, An Post have delivered over 17,000 food parcels to disadvantaged students since the schools closed up to the end of June 2020.