I propose to take Questions Nos. 727, 737 and 757 together.
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. Following the expansion of the Programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding.
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 or vegan option and an option that caters for students’ religious and cultural dietary requirements. The food provided for those with allergies must comply with the Standards. Guidance on allergies such as coeliac disease and gluten intolerance is available from Safefood.net
Schools are responsible for choosing their own School Meals supplier on the open market in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with Public Procurement rules. Under tender documentation as stipulated by the Schools Procurement’s Unit, the menu is to accommodate those with food intolerances and allergies, from lactose-free to vegetarian to gluten-free for example. In addition, the supplier is to check with the school upon award of the contract, the details of such to accommodate those potential customers and the supplier must provide clearly visible menu boards with an allergens list.
The Department provides the funding directly to the schools, who are then required to procure the provision of the food in compliance with Government procurement rules and with relevant Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, Food Safety regulations and the Nutritional Standards for School Meals. It is the responsibility of the school to source a supplier that can meet the dietary requirements of all of their pupils.
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 last year 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 late last year these schools were invited to participate in the Hot School Meals Programme from April 2024. There will be an opportunity for the other primary schools who had subsequently expressed an interest, to do so formally during this year.
In circumstances where a school is unable to secure a hot meals supplier due its location or facilities and space, I would suggest they reach out to local caterers or supermarkets within its area. If a school is still unsuccessful in securing a supplier, they should then try to source a local supplier that could instead provide a lunch with drink as an alternative to a hot meal.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
