Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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96. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total number of schools in Meath now eligible to receive hot school meals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21639/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children not only to address the risk of food poverty among vulnerable children but to support all children in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. Importantly, as the meals are provided to all children in a school children from poorer backgrounds are not stigmatised by being singled out.

There are now 2,850 primary schools participating in the Hot School Meals Programme for the current academic school year. As announced in Budget 2025, Hot School Meals will be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025 meaning that there will be 3,200 eligible schools encompassing 550,000 children from September 2025.

The total number of schools eligible for Hot School Meals in County Meath is 104.

Following the extension of eligibility to all primary schools, the 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.

Any remaining primary schools in Meath who have yet to express an interest, will be eligible to join the programme from September 2025.

As part of the Programme for Government I plan to commence the rollout of Hot School Meals to secondary schools over the lifetime of this Government.