School Meals Programme
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-24
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Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I thank the Minister of State. This reply has said how great the programme is and has said absolutely nothing about what is going to happen in the budget and if there is going to be any money allocated for next year. I appreciate we are not going to hear what will happen in the budget. We will obviously get to learn that in October. However, I would have liked some reference to the fact that we will hopefully see this programme expand next year or see it in the budget for next year. I also note that it refers to the Department of Education and Youth, whereas it was the Department of Social Protection that rolled out this programme into the schools. I know both Departments work on the hot school meals, and I have commended the Ministers, Deputies Calleary and Naughton, on this work a good few times this week. However, between the two Departments we need to make sure that we have money allocated in the budget to roll this out to more schools next year. I am determined for that to happen. If we are talking about one in five, as was mentioned, that is 110,000 children and not 42,000 so you can see they are already 50% undersubscribed. I thank the Minister of State for coming in and reading this out to me. I would appreciate if he would go back to the Ministers, Deputies Calleary and Naughton, and re-emphasise the point that children are hungry. We would like to see that programme enhanced for the summer and to look at a way of giving out meals during Christmas and Easter. I appreciate schools are closed, so it is harder because they can use the schools in the summer. Maybe we could put our heads together and think of how we can feed children during these times, because they are the same kids who are hungry. I also thank the Minister of State for his compliments at the start. I appreciate it.

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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