Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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337. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the number of schools in County Wicklow currently providing a hot school meals programme; the number of additional schools that will begin to provide this service in the new school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28711/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the School Meals 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. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding.

The Hot School Meal option of the programme was introduced in 2019 and is currently solely available to primary schools. Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the Hot School Meal option from an initial pilot of 30 schools to a position where over 2,000 primary schools now eligible to receive a hot meal.

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. As part of this significant expansion plan, all remaining primary schools were contacted last year and requested to submit an expression of interest form if their school was interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals.

Expressions of interests were received from over 900 primary schools in respect of 150,000 children and late last year these schools were invited to participate in the Hot School Meals Programme from 8th April 2024.

My Department has now contacted the remaining primary schools who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme asking them to submit expressions of interest in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Details of the schools involved will be announced in due course.

Currently 37 primary schools in County Wicklow are availing of hot school meals for the 2023/2024 school year. Details of these schools can be found in the tabular statement below.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Primary Schools in Wicklow currently in receipt of hot meals to date as of 28th June 2024