Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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1229.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will include a school (details supplied) in the breakfast club programme for September 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30891/24]

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.

In July 2022, I announced that access to Hot School Meals would be extended to the 282 newly designated DEIS primary schools, and access to the cold lunch option was offered to the 38 newly designated DEIS secondary schools from September, benefitting some 60,000 children. This allowed all pupils in the new DEIS schools to avail of one substantial meal for the additional budget provided.

The primary school referred to by the Deputy is currently solely eligible for funding under the programme for Hot School Meals and is currently receiving hot meals at the daily rate of €3.20 in respect of some 390 pupils.

The Hot School Meal option of the programme was introduced in 2019 and the programme has grown significantly in recent years from some 30 primary schools to over 2,000 primary schools and 316,000 children now eligible for a hot school meal.

In recent years, priority for additional funding has been given to primary schools to ensure that every primary school child receives one hot meal a day.

The most recent phase of expansion included 900 primary schools and 150,000 children in April this year. All primary schools who submitted an expression of interest are being provided with access to the Hot School Meals scheme.

My Department has 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. The responses will be reviewed with the aim for including more schools subject to available budgetary funding.

Any additional measures to expand the coverage of other meal options would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter.