What are the Minister's plans to develop a pension solution for foster carers in recognition of the enormous contribution they make to vulnerable children in our society, as committed to in the programme for Government?

Sentiment score: 0.36

I thank the Minister for his response. I am especially conscious of the words in the programme for Government whereby we will seek to examine the pension provision for foster carers to acknowledge their long-term commitment and ensure valued support after years of fostering. I am very conscious that 4,000 foster carers in Ireland provide a service which, as with services provided by other people in this area, benefits the State and makes a difference to individual lives. They help people not only during the time they are with them but also for the rest of their lives. They give them a stable environment which they may not have had otherwise. Deputy Timmins outlined the gender balance issue because most typically it is women who look after children in these situations. We want to ensure they are looked after and that there is fairness and equity in the scheme in this way. As I have said, we have a plan to do it. I thank the Minister for his comment. I hope it is something we can look into in future.

Sentiment score: 0.34

I thank the Minister for his very genuine response and for his commitment. As he outlined, he is very aware of the contribution that foster carers make. He has demonstrated his knowledge on the topic and his willingness to engage further in the coming weeks and during in his term as Minister. It is something we will continue to work on together and I will follow up on it. I thank the Minister for answering the question so clearly and with a depth of knowledge and understanding of the issue.

Sentiment score: 0.38

91. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools enrolled in the school meals scheme in 2025; the percentage of waste analysis has been done in these schools; and the nature of the reporting mechanism. [50836/25]

Sentiment score: -0.12

How many schools are enrolled in the school meals scheme? Has an analysis been done of the waste in schools? Will the Minister outline the nature of any reporting mechanism in this regard?

Sentiment score: -0.14

I thank the Minister for his response. I welcome the work that has been going into this and the efforts that this Government and the previous Government have made in putting forward the hot meals programme. Ultimately, it is there to provide meals to people who might not be in a situation to get them otherwise. This is definitely something we need to encourage. It is a great idea but we do need to monitor waste. In fairness, the Minister's team is working on that. As I have said, the Minister is providing the budget for 682,000 students in 3,700 schools. That is a huge effort and a huge contribution from the State to those children's daily lives. However, as I have said, it is important that we get feedback from the schools that we can analyse to help improve the process they are engaged in.

Sentiment score: 0.30