11 local schools have been added to the Hot School Meals Programme.
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that 168 across the country have been approved.
These include Baile an Chuilinn National School and Scoil Naomh Moling-Glynn in Carlow while the nine in Kilkenny are Bunscoil Mcauley Rice in Callan, St Brendan’s mixed N S, Gaelscoil Osrai, Church Hill mixed National School, Holycross National School, Owning National School, St Beacons National School, Scoil Naomh Seamus Naofa, Lisnafunchin National School.
The announcement means almost 2,200 Primary Schools across the country are now eligible with an additional 29,000 children now having access to nutritious lunches for the new school year starting from this September, bringing to a total of 345,000.
Minister Humphreys says; “Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot of just 30 schools to a nationwide programme which now provides nutritious hot meals in 2,200 primary schools across the country.
“My ambition now is to finish the job as part of this year’s Budget and ensure that every primary school in Ireland is providing hot school meals in 2025.
“I firmly believe the roll-out of hot school meals to every primary school in the country will be one of the lasting legacies of this Government.”
The Department of Social Protection provides the funding to schools for the School Meals Programme, and it is the responsibility of schools to choose their supplier in an open, fair and transparent manner in accordance with national legislation and EU directives on procurement.
The Department of Social Protection will now write to each of the 168 schools to advise them on the next steps in this regard to allow schools time to prepare so that their pupils will be able to avail of Hot School Meals from September 2024.
It comes on a day many have been outlining concerns on the rising costs associated with back to school.
