Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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938.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to review the case of a school (details supplied); the reason the school is not on the hot meals programme; when the school will be part of the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34182/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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956.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the application of a school (details supplied), to provide hot school meals to students; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34464/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 938 and 956 together.

I have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot project to a nationwide programme now approved in 2,200 primary schools nationwide.

In April 2024, my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 primary schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme, asking them if they wished to submit an expression of interest in commencing the provision of Hot School Meals. I can confirm the school referred to has expressed an interest in joining the scheme.

My Department is currently collating the responses received under this year's Expression of Interest process with the aim of including more schools subject to available funding in Budget 2025.