Kids going hungry due to scrapped holiday food grants, warns Foyle MLA

The removal of holiday food grants for children entitled to free school meals this year is a "disgrace" that will see many go hungry, an MLA has warned.

Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan made the comments after the Education Minister Paul Givan said, in response to a written question from Mr Durkan, that the grant was discontinued when "ringfenced funding" ceased last year.

The Minister said the Executive should seek a "wider and more holistic approach" to tackling "holiday hunger".

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Mr Durkan, in a statement, said: "It's appalling that food insecurity remains a reality for some families here and even more appalling that the current Education Minister is attempting to evade responsibility.

"95,000 children are living in poverty in the North – the majority of whom have at least one parent in work. Foodbank usage is at a record high. The decision to cut hunger holiday support in the current climate was utterly senseless."

The SDLP MLA continued: "Previous research from the Department of Education highlighted the value of this grant, it also recognised the disproportionate impact cuts would have on pupils with a disability.

“We've been waiting 20 years for the Anti-poverty 'cure-all' the Minister refers to. While it’s important this strategy is delivered, immediate intervention is required to undo the damage of Tory austerity policy which this Executive sleepwalked in to."

He added: "And while I commend every community organisation and local café who have stepped up to the plate to deliver free meals due to the failure of this government; this is not their responsibility. It’s a disgrace that the Executive created a society where foodbanks are a necessity, it's their duty to undo that reality.”

Responding to Mr Durkan's written query, the Education Minister Paul Givan said: "Ringfenced funding for School Holiday Food Grant payments ceased in 2023 and the payments were therefore discontinued."

The DUP Minister added: "Food poverty is an issue for many low-income families that affects all age groups across every day of the year. While tackling 'holiday hunger' is an important aspect of this, I believe it is for the Executive to seek to address food poverty across all our society through a wider and more holistic approach within the context of the Executive’s Anti-Poverty Strategy."

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