Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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470. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 22 of 13 October 2022, 50745/22, if the review of the school meals programme includes an evaluation of the rates of payment, particularly in view of rising energy and food costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53267/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations and benefitting 260,000 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.

Budget 2022 provided €68.1 million for the programme with an additional €9m provided to allow access to all new DEIS schools from September 2022. Additional funding for the programme has been provided for 2023 bringing the total to €91.6m.

Funding under the school meals programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and after-school clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided.

The evaluation of the school meals programme will review all elements including the rates of funding provided for the meals. I am committed to continuing to expand the school meals programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme in recent years. The final report is due to be completed in November 2022 and will be published thereafter.

I trust this clarifies the matter.