Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 September 2024
247. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details relating to the provision of the free school meals programme currently operating in DEIS secondary schools; the number of schools that are currently providing this; the number that have expressed an interest in being included; her plans to include these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37274/24]
View answerThe 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.
In recent years entry to the programme had been confined to DEIS schools in addition to schools identified by Department of Education as having levels of concentrated disadvantage that would benefit from access to the programme.
My main focus in recent years has been the expansion of the Hot School Meals Programme which is currently solely available to Primary Schools, has grown from a small pilot project to a nationwide programme is now approved in 2,200 schools nationwide.
In April 2024, my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 primary schools, 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 and the 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.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
