Patrick Mac Donncha, owner of Connemara Catering, has said that due to the "insufficient" payment from the Department of Social Welfare, it is no longer possible for him to provide the hot meals service to DEIS Schools in Connemara.
The cost of covering the school meals for over 1,000 pupils in Connemara across 15 schools, has been traditionally covered by the Department of Social Welfare, a payment which has not changed since 2003 and is now deemed insufficient.
Explaining the situation tthis week, Mr Mac Donncha said, "It can't be done this year with the current rates. They have been paying the same rates since 2003, no increase for almost 20 years. It can't be done anymore."
The payment, which was sufficient to cover costs at start of the scheme, has been impacted by the rise of the cost of living and it is no longer "tenable to provide the service".
"I'll put it like this, I'd get more for a bag of Taytos in the pub I have back in An Cheathrú Rua than I am getting to provide a hot dinner.
"We were getting less than €2 to provide a hot meal and a drink ... You would need at least €3 to be able to do that right ... They were getting a hot meal, like turkey and ham, potatoes and veg ... a good hot meal. It's not just nuggets and chips, it's a proper hot meal. You can’t do that for less than €2, that day is gone," said Mr Mac Donncha.
Mac Donncha also said that there were issues with the scheme all over the country, with various companies pulling out of the service.
"A lot of companies have pulled out of the scheme altogether because it’s not doable. They need to look at this whole scheme again and start again from the beginning.
"The schools are back now for the last six weeks. Nobody is talking about it ... The principals and the parents are giving out about it, but nothing is being done.”
