Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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217. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the procurement and certification standards applied to meat and poultry products supplied under the free school meals and school lunch schemes; if halal-certified meat is being used as a default standard by State-contracted caterers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55681/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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218. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether her Department requires lunch providers participating in the free school meals programme to inform schools and parents if meat products are halal-certified; and if she will consider introducing mandatory labelling or disclosure rules to ensure transparency and parental awareness. [55682/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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219. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department has undertaken any assessment of whether the use of halal-certified meat in school meals is compatible with the principles of religious neutrality in State-funded education [55683/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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220. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide a list of approved school meal contractors currently supplying halal-certified meat or poultry products under Department-funded school lunch schemes. [55684/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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221. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether schools or parents are given any option to request non-halal meat or vegetarian alternatives within the free school meals programme; and if not, the reasons. [55685/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 217, 218, 219, 220 and 221 together.

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.

Under the School Meals Programme, the primary relationship is between the school and supplier. My department provides the funding for the meals directly to the school and it is the responsibility of each school board to administer the Programme in their school, including handling the procurement process. All schools who wish to avail of funding under the programme are responsible for choosing their schools meals supplier on the open market, in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with public procurement rules. These rules clearly define the successful tenderer’s responsibilities and obligations.

Under the Programme, parents can choose food for their child every week from an approved menu which contains a range of options that are offered by the school’s supplier in accordance with Nutritional Standards for School Meals and Nutritional Standards for Hot School Meals. Under tender documentation, as stipulated by the Schools Procurement’s Unit, the menu is to accommodate those with food intolerances and allergies, including those with Coeliac disease and cultural/religious requirements. In addition, the supplier is required to check these details with the school upon award of the contract, in order to accommodate those children. The supplier must also provide clearly visible menu boards with an allergens list. There is no evidence that halal-certified meat is being used as a default standard.

All schools must submit a sample menu with their application for the School Meals Programme. Funding will not be provided for food that does not comply with these standards. All participating schools must also submit to my department a signed Service Level Agreement which clearly sets out the school’s responsibilities and obligations in terms of compliance with nutritional standards.

On any occasion, where there may be any concerns or queries about the options available for children in any specific school, they should be brought to the attention of the School Principal/Board of management and as the awarding body of the contract, the school can then liaise with the supplier directly to discuss same and receive an explanation from the supplier on the matter.

I trust this clarifies the matter.