School Meals Programme
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-24
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Colm Brophy (FG), Dublin South-West

I thank the Senator. Before I begin to give the reply on behalf of the Minister, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Senator's work in this area and in particular the research she worked on so tirelessly over the last 12 months which has contributed hugely to the reforms and changes to the system of school meals that the Minister has introduced. I have no doubt that he would echo that if he was here today. It has been one of the most important things undertaken by any Member of either Chamber in terms of influencing Government policy in this area. I again thank her very much.
In budget 2025 it was announced that a holiday hunger pilot project between the Department of Social Protection’s school meals programme and the Department of Education and Youth’s summer programme, formerly known as July provision, would be implemented during the summer of 2025. The pilot was part of a broader Government response to child poverty.
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.
The summer programme is an educational programme which supports vulnerable children with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. The interruption of the regular school routine, social interaction with friends and other school supports presents a risk of regression in the learning, social and emotional development and well-being of these children. The programme supports academic, social and emotional development, ensuring children do not lose vital skills during the long summer break.
An evaluation of the 2025 pilot project found that 90.79% of schools that participated in the summer programme indicated that providing school meals positively impacted the children who took part. In 2025 the programme supported over 42,700 of our most vulnerable children with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. When looking ahead to 2026, 94% of schools surveyed indicated their intention to avail of the school meals during the summer programme in 2026. This pilot is a key initiative as part of the Government priority to combat holiday hunger.
In April this year, a one-year extension of the holiday hunger pilot project between the Department of Social Protection’s school meals programme and the Department of Education and Youth’s summer programme was announced.
Schools reported that the provision of meals supported attendance and engagement in programme activities, while also helping to reduce some of the pressures experienced by families during summer school holidays. The pilot has demonstrated the value of combining educational and nutritional supports, while ensuring that vulnerable children can continue to benefit from a structured environment that promotes their well-being, development and readiness to return to school.
The summer programme is an educational programme which is run during the summer months. It is a vital and targeted intervention that is specifically designed for children with complex educational needs or those at risk of educational disadvantage. The original intention and the continued emphasis of the summer programme is to mitigate the impact of learning loss on those children when schools are closed. The Department of Education and Youth has advised there are no plans at present to provide an in-school programme similar to the summer programme during the Christmas or Easter holiday.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-24