School Meals Programme

384. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of school children who will be in receipt of hot meals from the start of the next school year, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54503/26]

519. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing free school meals for all post-primary school pupils in public schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51282/26]

657. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of providing free school meals for all pre-school children in the ECCE scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51336/26]

530. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection whether schools operating the school meals scheme are expected to prevent invoicing for meals ordered for children who are unexpectedly absent; the authority the schools have to cancel meals on behalf of parents; whether schools can be held financially or administratively accountable for meals ordered through supplier systems, where…

540. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the guidance,or assistance that can be afforded to a school (details supplied) whereby they are having difficulty in securing a hot school meals provider. [49192/26]

343. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will advise on a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied) in relation to the tendering process for the hot school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48362/26]

39. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she intends to undertake a review of the Bia Blasta Pre-school Nutrition Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46787/26]

484. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children being catered to by each of the five largest hot school meal providers, in tabular form. [47102/26]

34. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update in relation to progress on improving nutritional standard of the hot school meals programme; if he will provide for a pilot project looking into the socio-economic benefits of a model of local procurement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46173/26]

44. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on a pilot of the Hot School Meals Programme to be administered by Meals on Wheels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46282/26]

74. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he will put in place to ensure that the Hot School Meals Programme supports local employment, delivers freshly prepared meals on a daily basis, and ensures the programme supports sustainability and local economic development across all eligible providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46031/26]

80. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection whether there is a plan to assist schools who have been unable to source a supplier for hot school meals, being invariably smaller primary schools in rural area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45630/26]

341. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of school meals that were prepared but not taken up in the past year due to pupils being absent and meals not being cancelled in advance; the estimated cost of such wasted meals to the Exchequer in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46467/26]

629. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing the school meals programme to all post-primary schools in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45673/26]

1243. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he accepts that where a State-funded programme operates on a permanent and ongoing basis within schools, but significant numbers of workers engaged in delivering that programme are employed on insecure, term-time, or seasonal arrangements vulnerable to disruption upon changes in catering providers, issues arise concerning workfor…

1244. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the number of persons whose employment arises wholly or predominantly from publicly funded school meals provision and who may be classified as educational seasonal workers for the purposes of social welfare entitlements; whether his Department maintains any data in respect of s…

1245. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has examined the extent to which employment supported through the Hot School Meals Scheme gives rise to seasonal or interrupted employment patterns during school closure periods; the estimated number of workers affected; and the measures available to such workers during periods where schools are closed. [43238…

1264. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine the application for the schools meals scheme for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43498/26]

1269. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any audits, inspections, compliance reviews or assurance exercises have been undertaken since the introduction of the hot school meals procurement framework to assess whether participating schools are retaining conflict-of-interest declarations, procurement records and supplier communications in accordance with public procur…

1270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the review currently being undertaken by the CORU-registered dietitian of the School Meals Programme includes an assessment of pupil meal uptake rates, food wastage, pupil and school satisfaction, meal acceptance, supplier compliance with nutritional standards and value for money; whether the findings will be published; when…

1271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether unsuccessful suppliers under the hot school meals scheme have access to any formal review, reconsideration, complaints or appeals mechanism beyond raising queries with the contracting authority; whether any independent review mechanism exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43626/26]

740. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the inability of some schools in County Clare and elsewhere, including a school (details supplied) to access school meals due to their geographical location; the measures he will take to ensure all pupils can access much needed school meals regardless of their location; and if he will make a statement on the ma…

744. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether schools participating in the hot school meals scheme are required to retain written conflict-of-interest declarations from all persons involved in tender evaluation processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39264/26]

745. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether unsuccessful suppliers under the hot school meals scheme have access to a formal procurement appeals or review mechanism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39268/26]

746. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the Office of Government Procurement was consulted in the design of the current hot school meals scheme procurement framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39269/26]