Edge: “Redacted school meals review fails to deliver direction or accountability”

Onchan MHK says public is losing patience with government over lack of transparency

Onchan MHK Julie Edge has criticised the government for publishing a “heavily redacted” review of school meals, saying the public is losing trust in government transparency and service delivery.

The former education minister said the review lacks the clarity and outcomes she had hoped for when it was first commissioned.

“The whole point of this was to make sure pupils across the Island are getting healthy meals,” she said.

“What we’ve got instead is a document that raises more questions than answers - it’s very difficult to understand if there’s any real direction, or if change is just going to be shelved because it’s too tough.”

Ms Edge, who left the Department of Education, Sport and Culture in February 2024, said she had set the original terms of reference for the review.

These included reviewing the current operational model, purchasing and tendering practices, provision in schools, and the cost of meals.

“But the main focus was quality assurance - making sure the food served to our children meets proper standards, and provided value for money for parents,” she explained.

The review, released earlier this month after repeated delays, outlines how £2.5 million is spent annually on school meals and makes a series of recommendations around nutrition, procurement, and potential reform.

But more than 100 of its 159 pages contain redactions - with some fully blacked out.

“Government is getting too good at doing heavily redacted reports,” she said.

“The public have had enough.  They want to see proper reports and proper accountability.”

She added that ministers must do more to engage with the public directly: “They need to be out on the ground, speaking with constituents.”

Referring to her successor, Ms Edge questioned why the current Minister Daphne Caine, had not delivered a clearer, more actionable report.

“When she was a backbencher, she was probably one of the most vocal voices about ultra-processed food in school meals. I would’ve thought it would’ve been one of her top priorities,” Ms Edge said.

Ms Edge also dismissed any suggestion that her comments were politically motivated. “This isn’t about point-scoring - it’s about ensuring that government provides good service delivery, and at the moment, that’s not what people are seeing.”

In a post published on social media, Ms Edge stressed she had never seen the review during her time in office and had no role in its drafting.

She said responsibility for the final report lies with her successor and that the public and Tynwald “deserve clarity”.

The Department of Education, Sport and Culture has declined to comment.