Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
357. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify the situation regarding the allocation of funding for the hot meals programme to a school (details supplied) in Dublin mid-west which currently receives cold meals funding. [55945/23]
View answerThe School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 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. In February, the Government approved an additional €14.5million to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023. Budget 2024 has increased the funding by an extra €42.5 million to extend Hot School Meals in 2024 to non-DEIS primary schools, from April 2024.
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. As part of this significant expansion plan, all remaining primary schools were contacted and requested to submit an expression of interest form if their school is interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals.
Expressions of interests were received from over 900 Primary Schools in respect of 150,000 children and last week these schools were invited to participate in the Hot School Meals Programme from April 2024.
My officials advise me that no expression of interest was received from the school referred to by the Deputy.
