Isle of Man school meal vouchers not extended to summer holiday

The vouchers were available last summer for children eligible for free school meals

Food vouchers for children eligible for free school meals will not be provided during the summer holidays, the education department has said.

Vouchers were given to parents who were struggling financially in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Education member Ann Corlett MHK said it had been a "specific measure" due to the "unique circumstances" at the time.

Lawrie Hooper MHK said the decision was "bizarre" as employment in some sectors was still being affected by Covid-19.

'Short-term'

He called for the department to rethink the decision and said a lot of people were "still struggling to get back on their feet from suffering job losses or interruptions to pay during the pandemic".

Speaking in Tynwald, Ms Corlett said the 2020 vouchers had been a "short-term measure to help families during a particularly difficult period".

Although the Department of Education's "powers to provide food outside school term-time were constrained", she said, it would continue to work with other government departments to tackle the wider issue of poverty.