Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the guidelines in place for healthy eating in the new roll-out of the school meals programme; the supports in place for schools to stick to healthy eating guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20223/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children.  The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking 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 2023 provided €94.4 million for the programme.  The Government recently approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023.

On 30th March, I published an independent evaluation of the School Meals Programme which sets out the positive impact the Programme is having in terms of children’s education and wellbeing.  This evaluation is evidence-based and sets out a series of recommendations for expanding the School Meals Programme into the future.  There is an overwhelming consensus among all participants in the evaluation that the school Meals Programme is effective and indicates strong support for extending the School Meals Programme.

The report also recommends an interim increase in funding rates for all meal options in the School Meals Programme.  In response, I have secured government approval for the following rate increases for the various meal options provided on the School Meals Programme effective from 1st January 2023:

• Breakfast - increase from €0.60 to €0.75 (15c increase).
• Cold Lunch - increase from €1.40 to €1.70 (30c increase).
• Dinner - increase from €1.90 to €2.50 (60c increase).
• Hot School Meal - increase from €2.90 to €3.20 (30c increase).

All schools must satisfy the nutritional standards, must submit a sample menu with their application and must provide detailed records at the end of each school year.  Expenditure on unhealthy food items is deducted from the funding allocation.

I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years.  In this regard, I intend to roll out the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools from September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children.  I will also bring forward proposals in the coming weeks on commencing the roll out of the Hot School Meals to non-DEIS primary schools from 2024.

I trust this clarifies the matter.