Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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575. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if school meals will be provided even when schools are closed due to public health restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1120/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children.  The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.

My Department confirmed that funding for the School Meals Programme will remain in place during the current period of school closures.

This mirrors the arrangements that were in place during the school closures in 2020, when the majority of schools in the School Meals Programme continued to provide food to children, largely through the home delivery of food parcels by suppliers.

The arrangements will not change from when schools closed previously: namely that the schools may continue to avail of the funding and they may continue to provide food consistent with normal funding terms and conditions. Schools must ensure that they continue to satisfy all public health guidelines.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.