CONFIRMATION THAT SCHOOL MEALS FUNDING WILL CONTINUE WELCOMED

Confirmation on Friday last that funding under the School Meals Programme will continue during the midterm break has been welcomed by Padraig O’Sullivan, TD for Cork North Central.

Minister Humphreys said she wants to reassure parents and school authorities that this vital support for pupils will continue despite the break in the school calendar, ensuring that participating schools (primary and secondary) can provide food parcels benefiting thousands of pupils during this time.

Deputy O’Sullivan commented, “This is a vital support for children all over the country. The continuation of this funding during the midterm break means that thousands of children will benefit. It will be a relief to many parents and low-income families that are struggling during this time.

“While this is a welcome measure from the Minister, I believe consideration should be given to providing school meal funding to all schools in the country. It is already in place in other European countries such as Sweden and Finland – free school meals are given to all pupils in compulsory education”.

The mid-term break for secondary and primary schools occurs this week (February 15th-19th). While funding under the School Meals Programme is normally confined to the academic year, an exception is being made in light of Covid-19.

REVIEW OF THE MEALS POLICY

“I have asked the Minister through a Parliamentary Question if the Department would commit to a comprehensive review of the school meals policy. Unfortunately, the response stated that there are no plans to review the policy at present.

“This is something that I intend to raise with the Minister again in the Dáil, and an issue that I hope we can work on constructively together”, concluded Deputy O’Sullivan.

The decision to continue to provide access to funding under the School Meals Programme during the mid-term break mirrors the arrangements that were in place during the school closures in 2020, including the Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. During these periods, many schools in the School Meals Programme continued to provide food to pupils, largely through the home delivery of food parcels by suppliers.