Debate contribution: Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 21 September 2026.

MLA: Ms Cara Hunter
Party at the time: Social Democratic and Labour Party
Date: 21 September 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill: Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5743002

Text

I find it very disappointing that the Minister is not here. That is similar to the debate that we had before the summer recess, on girls wearing trousers in schools, for which he was not here. That is insulting to all of us as Members but particularly to Danny Baker, who drafted this private Member's Bill. I do not know if that is a point of order, but if we could get some clarity as to why he is not here today, I would be most grateful. I thank Danny and his team for their work and engagement on the Bill. We have had really interesting conversations in Committee about the impact of children being hungry in school and unable to focus, so I welcome the fact that we are discussing the Bill at this stage. I do not want to reiterate what others have said, but, as we all know, every child should have access to healthy and nutritious food throughout the year. Hunger certainly does not stop at the school gates, and it does not stop over Christmas, Easter or summer, nor do the pressures facing families across the North. For many children, access to that free school meal provides an important source of nutritious food throughout the school week. Therefore, the conversation that we are having today, and have been having over the past few months, is entirely understandable.
We acknowledge the impact that having no food over the summer months can have on a child's academic success. The evidence heard by the Committee demonstrated the true scale of the challenge. We heard about the additional pressures that school holidays put on family budgets and the true impact of food insecurity, particularly in the most deprived wards across the North. We definitely support the intention behind the Bill: to tackle holiday hunger and provide greater support for children and families who rely on free school meals throughout the school year. We support the amendments, which reflect the level of detail of the Committee's scrutiny in the past months. Amendment Nos 1, 5, 7 and 9 deal with the distinction between a single payment and multiple payments. While that might appear technical, the Department made it clear that the original wording could have restricted the EA to making one lump sum payment during a holiday period. The amendments provide greater flexibility in how support can be delivered. The SDLP will also support amendment Nos 2, 3 and 4. The Committee heard concerns about the potential consequences of describing the payments as being "in lieu" of free school meals. There was a risk that a child who had received a holiday payment but was already attending school on a particular day could inadvertently lose their entitlement to a meal. These amendments provide useful clarity and ensure that children will not be disadvantaged by the operation of the scheme. Amendment No 6 represents a sensible change, given that not every eligible family can access a bank account. The Committee heard that the previous scheme allowed alternative methods of payment and that it was important to retain that flexibility. A scheme designed to support families who are experiencing financial pressure should not inadvertently exclude them. Amendment Nos 8 and 10 address another small but practical difficulty that was identified during scrutiny: there is no single, standard price of a post-primary school meal, because pupils are able to purchase different combinations of items. Moving toward a daily allowance specified by the Education Authority under arrangements approved by the Department would provide a clearer and more workable basis for calculating payments. We also support amendment No 11, which provides greater clarity on relevant holiday periods, and amendment No 13, which strengthens Assembly scrutiny where powers are used to modify primary legislation. As my colleague mentioned, it is important that we recognise what the amendments do not resolve. The Committee heard significant evidence about the limitations of existing free school meal eligibility, and a significant gap remains that impacts on our young people and children who live in poverty every day in the North and on those who qualify for free school meals. There are particular concerns about working families who may be experiencing poverty but, as Mr Burrows rightly said, fall outside the existing criteria. There were legitimate questions about the appropriate level of payment and whether it would adequately reflect the real cost to families of providing healthy and nutritious food at home. As mentioned earlier, the cost of this seems to come up again and again, but I do not care who covers that, be it the Education Minister or the Communities Minister. Ultimately, the core value that we hold across the House is that we do not want to see children starve. All we need is clarity on the financial details. The vehicle does not really matter. This is the vehicle that we have before us today — a Member's Bill — and the SDLP supports it.
Yes. Go on ahead.
Thank you very much. The impact that we saw during COVID, when this scheme was brought in, and the positive impact that it had on our children speaks to the importance of bringing it in yet again. With regard to the mechanism, if it is for Communities, I would ask why the Communities Minister has not done this, and why is there such profound delay when it comes to the anti-poverty strategy?
Thank you.
Yes. Go ahead.
I thank the Member for his intervention, but I view one in five children in Northern Ireland experiencing poverty as an emergency and a crisis. If we cannot feed children, meaning that they do not have the attention span to focus in class, ultimately, we fail them. Yes, there are broader conversations to be had about welfare, because it does not stretch far enough. I understand and respect the fact that the Minister has a strict budget and has to work within it. However, if you strip it all back, you see that, if a child has an empty stomach, they cannot learn. The core issue of holiday hunger speaks to their academic success and their ability to learn and focus. That particularly applies to children who come from deprived communities and communities that have so many issues with poverty. I respect your position and your point, and I feel sorry that you have to contribute to the debate when the Minister should be doing so, because this is about scrutiny. That is why we stand here in the Assembly: part of our function is to scrutinise Ministers. I take Mr Brooks's points. We shall agree to disagree. Today, the SDLP will support the Bill.
Yes. On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker — I am entirely unsure under which Standing Order this falls — I would like clarification from the Speaker's Office on why the Minister of Education is absent today.
You do?

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