The Women’s Regional Consortium, in partnership with Ulster University, has submitted evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Education strongly backing the proposed Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill and calling for urgent action to address rising child poverty and food insecurity.
The joint submission draws on extensive research with women across Northern Ireland, revealing the stark reality of the cost-of-living crisis and its disproportionate impact on women and families.
Rising hardship and food insecurity
The evidence highlights a deepening crisis for low-income households:
- 75% of women reported difficulty affording food shopping
- 43% said they had skipped meals so their children could eat
- 41% had used foodbanks or emergency support
- 78% reported feeling cold or hungry or both due to rising costs
With children losing access to free school meals during holidays, families face even greater pressure during summer and school breaks.
Support for Holiday Meal Payments Bill
The Consortium and Ulster University have expressed strong support for the Bill, which would provide financial payments to families whose children receive free school meals during term time.
The proposal would reinstate support similar to the School Holiday Food Grant Scheme, which was cut in 2023 despite widespread need.
The organisations argue that restoring these payments would:
- Reduce child hunger during school holidays
- Improve children’s health, wellbeing and learning outcomes
- Ease financial strain on families already under pressure
Women bearing the brunt
The submission emphasises that women are disproportionately affected by poverty and rising food costs, often acting as “shock absorbers” within households, going without to protect their children.
A wider call for action
While welcoming the Bill, the organisations stress it must be part of a broader strategy to tackle poverty and inequality in Northern Ireland.
They are calling for:
- Urgent reinstatement of holiday meal payments
- Introduction of Universal Free School Meals
- Wider anti-poverty measures to address structural inequality
Evidence from lived experience
The submission is grounded in direct engagement with over 250 women, whose testimonies describe the daily struggle to afford food, including relying on reduced items, skipping meals, and making sacrifices to feed children.
These lived experiences are at the heart of the call for change.
Call to policymakers
The Women’s Regional Consortium and Ulster University are urging the Northern Ireland Assembly to:
- Pass the Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill without delay
- Ensure payments are delivered effectively and regularly
- Take meaningful action on the wider issue of child poverty
Policymakers must not only listen to lived experience—they must act on it.
