Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2020
230. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if the provision of the school meals local projects scheme will be extended over the Christmas school holiday period in order that schools as local leaders may support families in food poverty as they have done throughout the year with the support of this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44072/20]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take 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 announcement of the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic on 12th March 2020, schools and organisations participating in the school meals programme expressed concerns about the impact of school closures on pupils who avail of school meals, and that the unavailability of school meals impacts in particular on the most disadvantaged in our society.
Funding to schools continued, to enable schools to provide food until the end of the 2019/2020 academic year, in line with the parameters of the school meals scheme, including the 2 week Easter holiday. This funding was further extended to allow schools who chose to continue to provide food during the summer period until the start of the new academic year 2020/2021. The extension of the school meals programme over the summer months was provided for within the budget for 2020.
The school meals programme has been operating as normal in schools since schools reopened at the end of August and there is no plan to extend outside the normal school calendar.
While I have not received any representations from parents groups or schools with regard to maintaining funding for school meals over the Christmas period, I can confirm that funding will be made available if a participating school, acting as a local leader, confirms that it can operate the scheme and that it wishes to do so.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
