Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
888. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection to conduct a review of the implementation of the hot school meals programme to ensure it is receiving optimum uptake from students and schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16841/23]
View answer891. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide the recent RSM Ireland review of the free school meals programme with the rapid rise in the cost of electricity, fuel and food; her plans to increase the maximum rate of payment per child per day for the free school meals programme from the current rates of breakfast/snack €0.60, lunch €1.40, dinner €1.90 and hot meal €2.90 to enable schools to source suppliers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16863/23]
View answer895. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the checks that are in place and the ongoing monitoring to ensure that there is a high quality and a proper nutritional value in the food in all meals which are supplied through the free school meals programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16937/23]
View answer917. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection whether vegetarian and vegan options are available for children under the free school meals programme, and if not, whether she agrees that they should be made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17286/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 888, 891, 895 and 917 together.
The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children. The objective of the 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.
Budget 2023 provided €94.4 million for the programme. The Government recently approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023.
On 30th March, I published an independent evaluation of the School Meals Programme which sets out the positive impact the Programme is having in terms of children’s education and wellbeing. This evaluation is evidence-based and sets out a series of recommendations for expanding the School Meals Programme into the future. There is an overwhelming consensus among all participants in the evaluation that the school Meals Programme is effective and indicates strong support for extending the School Meals Programme.
The report also recommends an interim increase in funding rates for all meal options in the School Meals Programme. In response, I have secured government approval for the following rate increases for the various meal options provided on the School Meals Programme effective from 1st January 2023:
• Breakfast - increase from €0.60 to €0.75 (15c increase).
• Cold Lunch - increase from €1.40 to €1.70 (30c increase).
• Dinner - increase from €1.90 to €2.50 (60c increase).
• Hot School Meal - increase from €2.90 to €3.20 (30c increase).
Funding under the School Meals Programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided. These meals must meet the nutritional standards for the school meals programme. The Nutritional Standards for School Meals were developed by a working group led by the Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Department of Health, in consultation with Safefood and the Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme in the Health Service Executive.
Each school is required to provide a menu choice of at least two different meals per day and where required, provide a vegetarian/vegan option and an option that caters for students’ religious and cultural dietary requirements.
The uptake and interest by schools in the hot school meals programme is immense with almost 500 schools benefitting from the hot school meals programme today, compared to 30 schools when I was appointed Minister for Social Protection in June 2020.
I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years. In this regard, I intend to roll out the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools from September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children. I will also bring forward proposals in the coming weeks on commencing the roll out of the Hot School Meals to non-DEIS primary schools from 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
