School Meals Bill, 2017

That Dáil Éireann:

Noting:

Many families struggle to provide meals for children in school.

Proper nutrition and sustenance are a right for children under the protection of the state.

Proper nutrition and sustenance are required for children to learn.

A free meals programme must be designed to identify and support children in need without publicly identifying them or their families struggle.

In the past free meals programmes have being abused and subject to embezzlement. In small and random samples schools were found to have irregularities of more than €400,000.

The known irregularities involved inflated pupil numbers or false returns, expenditure on non-food items and failure to disclose other income sources.

Schools caught with irregularities are on 6 to 10 year repayment plans.

The HP Index to measure possible disadvantage/affluence has proven flawed allowing for entire regions to be cut out free meal schemes despite verifiable need.

Disadvantaged children and families on extremely limited budgets are not only found in designated schools or disadvantaged areas.

Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:

The Schools Meals Programme will receive an additional €4 million in funding.

The programme will cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and extracurricular meal programmes where they exist and a need for funding is shown.

Students within the meal programme may be enrolled discreetly by parents or by the local council itself as a result of its own investigation, teachers' recommendation, or other reports.

Schools will apply to local councils with estimates of student load, amount of planned meals/snacks, and perceived need. Local councils will be responsible for sourcing food, verifying need, and documenting expenditure.

Local councils will be liable for any irregularities in expenditure and will repay any discrepancy through local tax revenue.

Local council which provide unhealthy meals or fail to meet dietary needs of any kind will be liable to repay funding and will be ordered to amend their programme. These dietary needs will include those associated with ethical and religious persuasions, such as where it's a requirement that the meal is vegan or halal.

The School Meals Programme will provide nutritionists, pamphlets, and online resources to aid local councils in understanding the new scheme and the needs of students.

The School meals act 2016 is repealed in its entirety.

Title and Commencement:

This bill may be cited as the School Meals Act 2017.

This bill shall come into force upon it's passage through the Oireachtas.

This Bill was submitted by /u/fiachaire on behalf of the Workers Party

This voting period shall end on the 28th of March 2018, at 10PM.

Please vote Tá, Níl or Staon