Hot meals in 22 Kildare schools from September
Three Kildare national schools are to receive hot meals from this September
Another three Kildare national schools are to receive hot meals from this September, adding to the 19 in the county that already qualify.
The latest three schools to avail are Clogharinka NS, Scoil na Naomh Uilig in Rickardstown, and Tir Mochan NS in Donadea.
Minister Martin Heydon, TD for Kildare South, has welcomed this and said: “the news from Minister Heather Humphreys’ department was a great boost to pupils and their parents ahead of the next school term”.
Across the country, over 345,000 primary school children are now eligible to receive hot school meals under the scheme which was set up in 2019.
“The programme forms part of Ireland's commitment under the European Child Guarantee to give all children access to a range of key services, including healthcare and nutrition. It is a great scheme and is very beneficial for primary school children here in Kildare,” said Deputy Heydon.
“It was initially introduced by Fine Gael Minister Regina Doherty in 2019 as a pilot measure to 30 schools and now under Minister Heather Humphreys the scheme stretches to 2,200 primary schools across the country. This shows the commitment from my party to ensure every child has the best start in life.
“And we won’t stop. Today’s announcement brings to 22 the number of schools availing of the scheme in Kildare, but I want more schools across Kildare to have the programme extended to them as soon as possible," Minister Heydon said.
Minister Humphreys said: “My ambition now is to finish the job as part of this year’s Budget and ensure that every primary school in Ireland is providing hot school meals in 2025.
