Summer school meal payments delayed by Stormont impasse

3 releases from 3 parties, 16 May 2022 to 22 May 2022.

Each party’s website press releases, in order of publication

1. McCrossan: Children cannot become collateral damage of DUP strategy

   • SDLP
   • 16 May 2022
   • Criticism
   • Criticises another northern ireland political party or its representatives
   • Contains a proposal

   SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan accuses the DUP of putting children at risk of hunger by collapsing Stormont, after the Department of Education confirmed funding for the free school meal payment scheme over summer is not yet allocated. He urges parents to contact DUP MLAs.

   Original release (opens in a new tab)

2. Executive needed to extend free school meal payments- Sheehan

   • Sinn Féin
   • 16 May 2022
   • Call for action
   • Criticises another northern ireland political party or its representatives
   • Contains a proposal

   Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan says the DUP boycott is blocking an extension of free school meal payments into school holidays for three years, and calls on the DUP to end its boycott and help form an Executive immediately.

   Original release (opens in a new tab)

3. Impact of impasse on school meals for children shameful, says McAllister

   • Alliance
   • 22 May 2022
   • Criticism
   • Criticises another northern ireland political party or its representatives

   Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister calls the Stormont impasse "shameful" after the Department of Education confirmed summer school meal payments are not yet in place, and blames the DUP for refusing to return to Government.

   Original release (opens in a new tab)

Parties with no matching press release found on their website

• DUP: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website.
• UUP: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website.
• TUV: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website.
• Green Party: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website.
• PBP: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website – coverage for this period is incomplete (partly recovered), so a statement may have been missed.
• Aontú: no matching statement found on the party’s monitored website – coverage for this period is incomplete (partly recovered), so a statement may have been missed.

This does not show that a party said nothing: it may have commented elsewhere, in a release this system did not link to the issue, or in a release that has not been recovered.