Stormont passes bill to pay families of 90,000 children on free school meals during the holidays
Payments would be at least the cost of a school meal and cover holidays including summer, Christmas and Halloween, with the bill's own estimate putting the first year's cost at £20.6m.
Families in Northern Ireland whose children get free school meals are a step closer to receiving money for food during the school holidays, after MLAs passed the Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill on Tuesday night.
The bill places a duty on the Education Authority to pay those parents during holiday periods, including the summer, Christmas, Halloween and half-term breaks. More than 90,000 pupils were entitled to free school meals in the 2024/25 school year, according to the bill's explanatory memorandum.
How the payments would work
The money would go straight into a nominated bank account, with another method arranged for parents who do not have one. Each payment must be at least the cost of a school meal as published by the Education Authority, which will have to keep its current meal charges on its website. The Department of Education can make regulations setting the payment level and changing which holiday periods are covered.
Once the bill receives Royal Assent, the education minister must bring its main parts into force no later than the first school holiday that follows.
Cost
The memorandum estimates the payments would cost £20.6m in the 2026/27 school year, rising to £23.2m by 2033/34, an average of £21.9m a year. Those figures are based on 70 school holiday days. Running costs are put at around £40,000 a year.
Education Minister Paul Givan opposed the bill. He said it would cost £20m to £30m a year and that the money would have to come from cuts elsewhere in his department.
Background
The bill is a private member's bill brought by Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker, who introduced it in March. Alliance and SDLP members spoke in favour during Tuesday's final stage debate, while the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party raised concerns about how it would be funded.
Northern Ireland previously ran School Holiday Food Grants from July 2020, but they stopped in April 2023 when the extra funding behind them ended.
