96. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection when he intends to publish the evaluation of service review of the School Meals Programme (details supplied), specifically the Hot School Meals Programme; whether the review will be made publicly available in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67639/26]

Since September 2025 all 3,200 primary schools and 550,000 children are eligible for hot school meals. Across all meal types there some 3,700 schools and 682,000 children are eligible for support. This equates to the distribution of up to 3.4 million school meals per week.

IPSOS Behaviour and Attitudes Research was engaged to carry out a survey in relation to the Hot School Meals Scheme. The survey was conducted during the period 29 May 2026 to 7 July 2026 by way of an online quantitative survey of primary school principals, teachers, children, parents/guardians and suppliers of school meals. The report was published and available on School Meals Scheme (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/services/school-meals-scheme/#the-revised-nutrition-standards-for-school-meals)

The survey was completed by 512 principals/teaching principals, 1,908 teachers, 6,884 children, 86,637 parents/guardians and 47 suppliers.

The survey found the Hot School Meals Scheme is now deeply embedded in participating primary schools, with strong reach among children and with broad recognition of its benefits.

81% of parents/guardians who responded reported that their child avails of the scheme with the majority viewing the menu options as healthy or very healthy. 85% of children who responded reported that they liked the meal or that it was satisfactory.

With respect to food waste the survey found this was always a problem even before the introduction of school meals. With 48% of parents stating their children brought uneaten food home before school meals were introduced.

28% of children and 84% of parents/guardians felt that children should have the option of a cold lunch.

The main challenges now identified by the survey are not around access to meals but rather meal acceptability, menu choice to include both hot and cold options and addressing the causes of food waste. Importantly, the findings align closely with those in the Nutrition Review Report and support the recommendations in the report.

I am pleased to see that both reports indicate a generally high standard of food provision and a high level of overall satisfaction. I am also pleased that they provide an independent and objective view of those areas where we can improve the programme. I will immediately begin to act on those recommendations for improvement.

I trust this clarifies the matter.