The co-founder of the island’s Foodbank, Neal Mellon, has criticised the government’s decision not to offer free meals to schoolchildren over the summer holidays.

Last year, the Department of Education, Sport and Culture launched a school summer holiday food voucher scheme for the six-week break to help families struggling due to the effect of the pandemic and lockdown.

This involved Shoprite vouchers.

Mr Mellon told Manx Radio: ’I don’t know what the reason is behind that [decision].

’I don’t know how you justify that.

’There’s not going to be less children around, there’s not going to be less children in need.

’The families are not going to get more money, either in their employed income or if they’re on benefits.

’I have to say I was left feeling very disappointed in government that they’ve made this decision.’

Education department member Ann Corlett confirmed the decision not to continue the summer holiday scheme to Tynwald in May.

She said that last year’s holiday voucher system was brought in under the Financial Provisions and Currency Act in 2011 after Tynwald approval, and that ’our powers to provide school meals outside school times are constrained’.

The Mannin Branch of the Celtic League, a political pressure group, also questioned the decision in an open letter to Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan.

It cited articles of the U.N’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, which urges states ’to ensure social benefits are adequate to support children and specifically nutrition’.