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

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 12 October 2026.

MLA: Ms Cara Hunter
Party at the time: Social Democratic and Labour Party
Date: 12 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill: Further Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5786444

Text

The SDLP welcomes the intention behind the Bill and acknowledges the work that has brought it to this stage. The principle of the Bill is straightforward. Children do not stop needing to eat when the school gates close for the holidays. Families who depend on free school meals during term time should not have to face additional financial pressures simply because schools are closed. The legislation offers a practical means of addressing that gap and could make a meaningful difference for thousands of families. The Committee has undertaken its scrutiny, considered the evidence and sought to strengthen the legislation, yet we find ourselves today considering a series of ministerial amendments that, taken together, risk fundamentally changing the character of the Bill. We feel that it is important for the Minister to work constructively with the Committee to address concerns. The changes proposed today would give his Department considerably greater discretion over the timing and operation of the scheme, and there is a real danger that, if his amendments were successful, we could end up with what could only be described as "zombie legislation". I will move shortly to specific amendments. There is real concern about having on the statute book a Bill whose central provisions are never brought to life. A statutory promise of support for children with no certainty about when that support will materialise is also concerning. We recognise that there are legitimate practical difficulties associated with implementing a new payment scheme, and nobody is suggesting that the challenges should be ignored. However, we feel that there is a fundamental difference between addressing implementation difficulties and removing the statutory obligation to deliver. We feel that the Minister's amendments risk crossing that line. In particular, removing the existing commencement arrangements without replacing them with a clear timetable creates the possibility that the legislation could receive Royal Assent and then sit indefinitely awaiting departmental action. The Committee has sought to establish a meaningful statutory safeguard linking the daily allowance to the charge imposed for a school meal. I move to some of the amendments. In amendment No 2, the Minister's alternative approach would provide greater flexibility in how payments are calculated, but that also includes the possibility of different rates for different pupils. An entitlement to a payment is of limited value if there is insufficient protection of what that payment will be worth. We should be cautious about handing extensive discretion to the Department, given that the purpose of the Bill is to establish a dependable entitlement for our children. As was mentioned by the Committee Chair, we find amendment No 8 complex and broad. We have not been given the necessary time to comprehend its scope or its impact, so, sadly, we cannot support it. There is a wider issue that exposes the fundamental dysfunction in the Executive. Today, we are considering legislation against the backdrop of an Executive who have yet to agree a Budget. The Bill is well intentioned, but it is sad that the difficulties that surround its implementation show symptoms of a much wider problem in our governance. We have an Executive who continue to operate as a collection of individual Departments rather than as one functioning Government. It is welcome that private Members are bringing forward proposals to address the genuine gaps in our public provision. Ministers, understandably, have to grapple with the implications of delivering new responsibilities without an agreed financial framework, and I can imagine that that is utterly frustrating. However, I feel strongly that that is not a sustainable way to govern. It is important that we, as elected reps, whether in the Assembly or the Executive, do all that we can to tackle child poverty. In evidence to the Committee, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People rightly recognised the contribution that the Bill could make, while emphasising the importance of also having a properly resourced anti-poverty strategy. Holiday hunger is not an isolated problem; it reflects the deeper financial pressures facing families and the failure of government to develop a real and coordinated response to child poverty. We cannot legislate our way out of poverty while the Executive refuse to make the budgetary decisions that are necessary to address it. We know that private Members' legislation cannot be a substitute for collective leadership to make the necessary financial commitments. If there are genuine implementation difficulties, it is important that the Minister engage constructively with the Committee to identify how we can work collectively to overcome those difficulties. For parents who struggle to meet the cost of food during the school holidays, the distinction between legislation that has been passed and legislation that has been implemented is a core issue. It is the difference between receiving help and receiving nothing. Today, the SDLP wants to thank the Bill sponsor; we want the Bill to succeed. Is it perfect? No. Are we going to try to work together to make it so and to implement it? Yes, it is important that we do so. It is important that we work with the Minister and that the Minister works with the Committee to best support the Bill. Ultimately, the Bill tells us something important about the state of poverty in Northern Ireland and the number of families who are struggling. It is important that we work together on that today. The problem is not a shortage of legislation or good intentions; it is a shortage of collective decision-making, political leadership and a willingness to match promises with resources. Until that changes, we will continue to pass the legislation that we can, through the Committee, in the best way possible to change the lives of the young people who are facing poverty every day.

954 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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