Sinn Féin have launched a Private Members Bill on Holiday Hunger. This Private Members’ Bill (PMB) is about legislating to provide direct support to children and young people entitled to free school meals and their families throughout school holiday periods. Approximately 100, 000 children are eligible for free school meals. However, this entitlement ends when school terms are complete. Consequently, a cliff edge scenario exists for many families who are struggling financially. The proposed legislation will place a statutory duty on the Department of Education and the Education Authority to provide financial payments in lieu of free school meals during school holidays to those children and young people who are eligible.
Since July 2020, additional ring-fenced funding was provided to enable the Department of Education to pay School Holiday Food Grants (SHFG) on behalf of the Executive, as part of wider efforts to tackle holiday hunger and food poverty. In April 2023, as a result of budget cuts, this additional funding ended and the food grants stopped. The Trussell Trust reported that it gave out 49% more food parcels to families in July and August 2023, after the grant was axed, than it did in the previous year.
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