Ciarán Ahern
Ceist:747. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the roll out of the hot school meals programme to secondary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30287/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 28 April 2026
Ceisteanna (747)
Freagraí scríofa
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.
In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals would be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025, meaning that approximately 3,700 schools and 682,000 children are now eligible for school meals. This equates to the distribution of up to 3.4 million school meals per week.
The budget for the School Meals Programme for 2026 is €286 million.
My immediate priority is in-depth review of school meal supplier menus and their compliance with the nutritional standards. My Department seconded a CORU-registered dietician for the School Meals Programme who is under the clinical supervision of the Department of Health to carry out this review. The review is underway with the final report due the end of June 2026.
I trust this clarifies the matter.