Sorca Clarke TD asked the Minister for Social: School Meals Programme

Sorca Clarke, Sinn Féin TD for Longford‑Westmeath, raised a question in the Dáil on 18 June 2026 to the Minister for Social Protection about wasted school meals. She asked how many meals were prepared but not taken up during the previous year because pupils were absent and the meals had not been cancelled in advance. Clarke also requested an estimate of the cost of those unused meals to the Exchequer each year, and whether the minister would make a statement on the matter.

The question comes amid growing scrutiny over the efficiency of the school meals programme, which is funded by the state to provide free or subsidised lunches for children in primary schools. Clarke’s inquiry highlights concerns that resources may be wasted when meals are prepared for students who do not attend and no pre‑emptive cancellation system is in place.

Clarke has long been involved in education policy as Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on the subject. She was elected to the Dáil at the 2020 general election, topping the poll in Longford‑Westmeath after a brief stint on Westmeath County Council where she had received just over five hundred votes. A former accountant who ran a security business with her husband, Clarke is also a mother of four and has served on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence during the last Dáil.

The TD’s question reflects a broader concern among local representatives that public funds should be used efficiently, especially in programmes aimed at supporting children’s nutrition. While the Minister for Social Protection has not yet responded to Clarke’s request, the issue is now part of the official parliamentary record and will likely prompt further discussion on how best to manage school meal provision.

For more information see the Oireachtas record.

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