Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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936.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the up-to-date position regarding the rolling out of further hot school meals in schools in Dublin; the number of new schools that are included in the most recent addition of schools; if she will provide a list of all schools in County Dublin now benefitting from the scheme, including the date on which the schools were approved for the programme; the number of schools in County Dublin that remain outside the programme; the number of them that expressed an interest in the programme in the most recent call, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34168/24]

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 2,723 schools and organisations, covering 472,000 children are now eligible for funding.

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 is 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.

I have since announced details of an additional 168 primary schools to be newly included in the Hot School Meals Programme from September 2024, and my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 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 of including more schools subject to available funding in Budget 2025.

Details of the number of schools in Dublin invited to the Programme in the most recent extension to 168 new schools, a list of schools currently availing of the Programme - including the dates invited to join the scheme - a list of schools who submitted an Expression of interest, and schools that remain outside the Programme who did not submit an Expression of interest, are included in the tabular statements below.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Schools currently in the scheme including the new schools eligible from September 2024 - including the date they were invited to join the scheme

Schools currently in the scheme including the new schools eligible from September 2024 - including the date they were invited to join the scheme cont.

Schools currently in the scheme including the new schools eligible from September 2024 - including the date they were invited to join the scheme cont.