Holiday hunger bill faces decisive Stormont vote in Northern Ireland
Legislation offering financial support for school meals during holiday breaks is undergoing its final debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Legislation designed to fund food support for low-income families during school holidays is facing its final parliamentary hurdle in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont on Tuesday. The Holiday Meal Payments Bill aims to assist families whose children currently receive free school meals.
Introduced by Sinn Féin politician Danny Baker, the bill seeks to address child poverty by providing payments to households earning below £15,390 annually. Northern Ireland remains the sole UK region lacking state-funded holiday food support after previous welfare schemes were discontinued in 2023.
Education Minister Paul Givan of the Democratic Unionist Party has strongly opposed the measure, warning it will impose an annual £20 million burden on an already overstretched departmental budget. Despite governmental friction, anti-poverty campaigners have welcomed the proposed legislation.
Source: BBC News Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture / Rawpixel (CC0)