Campaigners claim minister attempting to undermine 'Holiday Hunger Bill'
Summary
Campaigners say Northern Ireland's education minister, Paul Givan, is trying to weaken a new law that would help poor families pay for food during school holidays. The law would give payments to families whose children get free school meals, but Givan wants changes that would let him delay the payments.Key Facts
- The Holiday Meals Payment Bill aims to give money to families with children who receive free school meals, to cover food costs in holidays.
- Paul Givan, education minister from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), opposes the bill because it could cost £20 million a year.
- Givan proposed amendments to allow him to decide when the payments start, potentially delaying or stopping them.
- The bill is based on a pandemic scheme that gave £27 every two weeks to qualifying families.
- Campaign groups like NSPCC and Save the Children say Givan’s changes could mean families never get the payments.
- The Northern Ireland Assembly will discuss the bill and amendments soon, but it is unsure if the amendments will pass.
- The Ulster Unionist Party has some concerns about the proposal but no clear position reported yet.
- Givan previously warned that funding the bill would mean cutting other education spending.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
