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 cancellation is not possible after the supplier deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48846/26]

My Department provides the funding for School Meals directly to schools. The Primary relationship is between the school and supplier. The Schools Procurement Unit under the Department of Education and Youth, provides guidance to schools for all procurements including the School Meals Programme. New Procurement documentation which issued in August 2025 stipulates that School Meal Scheme suppliers operate a 48 hour cancellation policy.

Parents or guardians are required to cancel orders if they know in advance that the child will be absent from school. If a child is unexpectedly absent, cancellation is not possible for that day, and the meal charged by the supplier is covered by the Department. The school is not responsible where parents or guardians fail to cancel meals.

Schools conduct a reconciliation of meals delivered against suppliers’ invoices. As part of a school’s annual application for funding, a full examination of income and expenditure is conducted by my Department. This includes the school submitting bank statements and invoices for the previous academic year. This is to ensure that there are no irregularities in payments or blanket charging by suppliers. Any surplus funds are factored into the calculation of the allocation for the school for the next academic year.