403. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any complaints, concerns, or reports have been received by the Schools Procurement Unit regarding procurement integrity, inducements, gifts, or undeclared supplier incentives within the Hot School Meals Programme since 2023; and if he will provide the number of complaints received and the manner in which they were addressed. [36297/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions asked by Ken O'Flynn under the heading School Meals Programme.
48 questions match, newest first.
404. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether schools participating in the Hot School Meals Programme are permitted to consider or accept supplier-provided items, services, or promotional materials outside the formally scored tender submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36298/26]
405. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the Schools Procurement Unit maintains any audit or compliance process regarding tender evaluation procedures used by schools under the Hot School Meals Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36299/26]
406. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether external administration, consultancy, or accountancy companies are permitted to administer, manage, score, or participate in tender evaluations under the Hot School Meals Programme; and whether guidance exists governing such arrangements. [36300/26]
407. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department or the Schools Procurement Unit collects information regarding the composition of evaluation teams used by schools during Hot School Meals procurement competitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36301/26]
408. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether food quality, taste assessment, nutritional presentation, or food sampling are formally weighted or scored within the current Hot School Meals tender evaluation framework; and if he will provide details of any mandatory assessment requirements. [36302/26]
409. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken any review of whether the current Hot School Meals procurement framework adequately assesses actual food quality delivered to children as distinct from written tender documentation. [36303/26]
410. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any review has been undertaken into the governance and procurement integrity controls operating within the Hot School Meals Scheme since the expansion of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36304/26]
411. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the Office of Government Procurement has provided any guidance, observations, or recommendations to the Department or the Schools Procurement Unit concerning procurement compliance within the Hot School Meals Programme. [36305/26]
217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the procurement and certification standards applied to meat and poultry products supplied under the free school meals and school lunch schemes; if halal-certified meat is being used as a default standard by State-contracted caterers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55681/25]
218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether her Department requires lunch providers participating in the free school meals programme to inform schools and parents if meat products are halal-certified; and if she will consider introducing mandatory labelling or disclosure rules to ensure transparency and parental awareness. [55682/25]
219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has undertaken any assessment of whether the use of halal-certified meat in school meals is compatible with the principles of religious neutrality in State-funded education [55683/25]
220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a list of approved school meal contractors currently supplying halal-certified meat or poultry products under Department-funded school lunch schemes. [55684/25]
221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether schools or parents are given any option to request non-halal meat or vegetarian alternatives within the free school meals programme; and if not, the reasons. [55685/25]
287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to list every post-primary school that applied for participation in the hot school meals or school meals scheme and that was refused or deemed ineligible since 2022, with reasons; and to explain the evidence base for excluding post-primary pupils when England, Finland and the United States apply standards or programmes across older cohorts. [49464/25]
288. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide the full text of any memorandum of understanding or governance agreement with the Department of Social Protection and the HSE regarding school-meal delivery on school premises, including responsibilities for safeguarding, allergens, and food-safety inspections; and if none exists, the reason for the governance gap. [49465/25]
291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the procurement model used by schools and patron bodies for meal provision, including the use of frameworks, lot sizes, SME access, and any late rule changes in 2025 that contributed to roll out delays; and to publish the corresponding risk register entries. [49469/25]
293. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which he will ensure equity for pupils with special diets (allergies, coeliac disease, cultural-religious requirements), including compulsory written allergen information availability on site; and the dates of the last environmental health inspections per school. [49471/25]
283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the quality assurance mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor the implementation of the Hot School Meals Programme; if he will confirm whether any inspections or audits were carried out during the 2024–2025 academic year; if his Department intends to publish the findings of these inspections; and if he will outline the enforcement procedures t…
284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he is satisfied that the meals served under the Hot School Meals Programme align with national and international nutritional guidelines for children; if his Department has conducted any independent assessments of the meals provided; and if he will outline the specific steps taken to address the prevalence of ultra-processed foods, such as chips,…
285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the steps his Department has taken to ensure that children with coeliac disease and other medical dietary requirements are fully and equally included in the Hot School Meals Programme; if he has engaged with relevant advocacy groups (details supplied); and whether his Department is preparing reforms to provide medically safe, inclusiv…
286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has conducted any assessment of the levels of food waste generated under the Hot School Meals Programme; whether any formal cost-benefit or value-for-money analysis has been carried out; and if he will indicate whether infrastructural investment or centralised food preparation models are being considered to improve sustainability and e…
287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the scope, methodology, and reporting timeline of the current review of the Hot School Meals Programme; to confirm whether nutritionists, school management bodies, and parent organisations will be consulted as part of the process; and to indicate whether his Department is satisfied that sufficient quality control and supplier capacity exist t…