Northern Ireland's education minister has warned that proposed legislation to help low-income families with food costs during school holidays would cost his department £20m annually. Paul Givan, from the Democratic Unionist Party, has consistently opposed the Holiday Meals Payment Bill, which is being brought forward by Sinn Féin assembly member Danny Baker. The scheme would provide payments to families whose children receive free school meals during school breaks.
Givan has proposed amendments that would give him the power to delay when payments start. He will need support from other parties for the changes to be accepted, though the Ulster Unionist Party has raised concerns about the proposal. Campaign groups including the NSPCC and Save the Children have criticised the amendments, saying they would create uncertainty about whether payments would ever begin.
The scheme is based on a programme introduced during the pandemic, which paid qualifying families £27 per child every two weeks. As it relates to school meals provision, the cost would fall on the Department of Education. In April, Givan warned elected members that his department lacked funding for the scheme.