Consultation Response on the Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to deepen, children and families are bearing the brunt of the cost of inaction. The reality of child poverty in Northern Ireland is stark; child poverty remains stubbornly high, with around 73,000 children growing up in poverty in Northern Ireland. School holidays are a particularly hard time for households experiencing food insecurity. During the days and weeks when children are not in school, families are under enormous pressure with childcare needs, finding opportunities for play and activities, and meeting basic necessities such as heating and providing nutritional meals.

This Bill aims to support 90,000 children who are in receipt of free school meals but currently do not receive any support during school holidays, which leaves families without consistent nutritional meals for weeks at a time. What this tells us is that we need a direct intervention to support these families and children, and this Bill is a step towards ending holiday hunger and ensuring that 90,000 children are not going hungry during the holidays.