Northern Ireland

Committee urges free meals for holidays beyond this summer

Funds are being sought to fund free schools meals over the summer
Funds are being sought to fund free schools meals over the summer Funds are being sought to fund free schools meals over the summer

FREE meals for disadvantaged schoolchildren should be considered for holidays beyond this summer, assembly members have urged.

Education minister Peter Weir is to bid for extra money to extend payments over the summer.

Close to 100,000 pupils are entitled to free school meals (FSM) during term-time – almost 30 per cent of all young people.

Food poverty, especially during holidays, can be a significant issue for families on low incomes.

Children typically receive no support during the two-month-long summer break, leaving many struggling.

Several youth clubs and community centres fill the gap in some areas by providing thousands of dinners.

Since schools closed in March, children entitled to FSM have instead been receiving direct payments. These are due to end on June 30.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that has not yet extended meals over July and August.

Mr Weir said he was aware of the concerns that some children will go hungry over the summer.

He is considering options to cover July and August and will be making a bid for funding of more than £12m to provide a summer food scheme.

It will form part of a wider paper on summer activities to be considered by the executive when it meets on Thursday.

This will include a proposal to extend the Education Authority's Eat Well Live Well programme which has been running for several months and is providing healthy breakfasts and lunches to more than 3,000 vulnerable young people.

First Minister Arlene Foster said she would propose to the executive that the scheme be extended over the summer, if "the necessary finances can be secured".

And finance minister Conor Murphy said he was "determined to identify the money necessary".

Yesterday, the assembly education committee agreed that the executive should look at offering free meals both in this and future holiday periods.

Chairman Chris Lyttle of the Alliance Party said: "Food poverty extends well beyond this summer. It is an issue that this committee should return to very urgently."

Mr Lyttle also endorsed proposals for two-week summer schools that are being considered.

While it has been said that participation from teachers will be voluntary, unions are not happy with the plans.

They have also voiced concerns about a possible August 17 return for some pupils in `key cohorts'. This would be two weeks earlier than usual.

SDLP committee member Daniel McCrossan said there was a huge amount of frustration at how the August 17 date was put into the public domain.

While Mr Weir had said schools could return in the third week of August, he only mentioned the specific date during an online meeting hosted by the National Association of Head Teachers.

Mr McCrossan said working groups established by the Department of Education had yet to make any firm proposals.

The committee's deputy chair, Karen Mullan of Sinn Féin, also said the lack of clarity was causing greater stress among teachers.

"They need to have their holidays then they need to have time to prepare," she said.