Executive pledge on free school meals – if money can be found

The move, announced in the Stormont Assembly this afternoon, came after calls from other parties to make the payments a reality, with both the UUP and SDLP saying that to do otherwise risks spelling “holiday hunger” for disadvantaged children over the summer period.

Stormont Education Minister Peter Weir had previously said his department did not have the money to extend the scheme outside term-time.

The development comes as the government in London reversed its decision not to extend free school meal support in England over the summer following a campaign involving Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.

The authorities in Scotland and Wales are also providing support to eligible families over the summer.

When schools closed due to the pandemic, the families of children eligible for free meals were instead given a £27 payment every fortnight.

There are almost 100,000 children in Northern Ireland who are eligible. This was due to end on June 30.

The Department of Education says extending it over July and August will cost £12m.

Mrs Foster told MLAs: “I am very sympathetic to ensuring that our young people have the certainty of at least one good meal per day over the summer months.

“We know that that is a challenge for many families, and I know that the deputy first minister also takes the issue very seriously.

“Having spoken to the education minister, I know that he is also very supportive.

“The Department for Communities has been ensuring that young people in receipt of free school meals have continued to be supported when they have been off school during the Covid-19 crisis.

“Of course, doing well in education can depend on a range of home and personal factors, but we need to ensure that young people have the best possible opportunities to succeed when they return to school, hopefully in late August/September.

“There are exceptional circumstances due to Covid-19. Therefore, I will propose to the Executive that meals continue to be provided to that cohort of children over the summer period this year if the necessary finances can be secured.”

Sinn Fein has also come out in support of the scheme, with Finance Minister Conor Murphy saying he is “determined to identify the money necessary”.

Rashford, aged 22, had added impetus to the campaign for further funding when he wrote in The Times: “I don’t claim to have the education of an MP, but I do have a social education. I’m clued up on the difference a U-turn decision would make on the 1.3m vulnerable children across the UK who are registered for free school meals because 10 years ago I was one.”

The cost will be £120m in additional funding, No10 said. After the government changed its mind and pledged to provide funding, he said “families have one less thing to worry about”.

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