Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
363. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing free school meals for all post-primary school pupils in public schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23790/23]
View answer364. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing free school meals for all primary school pupils in public schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23791/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 363 and 364 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.
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.
According to information contained on the Department of Education’s website there are 3,231 primary schools and 727 secondary schools with a combined enrolment of 964,590 students (558,133 in primary schools and 406,457 in secondary schools). If a breakfast/snack at 75c per child, per day, and a hot school meal at €3.20 per child, per day was provided to all primary students it would cost approximately €397m for a full school year. If a breakfast/snack at 75c per child, per day, and lunch at €1.70 per child, per day, was provided to all post primary pupils it would cost approximately €164m for a full school year.
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.
Any additional measures to expand the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
