Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing automatic enrolment in free school meals for eligible children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM). Since 2010, the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than two million, thanks to the introduction of universal infant free school meals, plus generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010.
FSM take-up was estimated to be 89% according to benefits data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and December 2012/January 2013 census data. The relevant publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of pupils who would become eligible for FSM through automatic enrolment. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.
The Department has previously had discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about auto-enrolment functionality, but there are complex data, systems, financial and legal implications to such a change.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on introducing automatic enrolment for free school meals for eligible children.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM). Since 2010, the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than two million, thanks to the introduction of universal infant free school meals, plus generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010.
FSM take-up was estimated to be 89% according to benefits data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and December 2012/January 2013 census data. The relevant publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of pupils who would become eligible for FSM through automatic enrolment. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.
The Department has previously had discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about auto-enrolment functionality, but there are complex data, systems, financial and legal implications to such a change.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of pupils nationally who are eligible for, but are not claiming, free school meals.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM). Since 2010, the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than two million, thanks to the introduction of universal infant free school meals, plus generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010.
FSM take-up was estimated to be 89% according to benefits data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and December 2012/January 2013 census data. The relevant publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of pupils who would become eligible for FSM through automatic enrolment. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.
The Department has previously had discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about auto-enrolment functionality, but there are complex data, systems, financial and legal implications to such a change.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Food Strategy Report, published in July 2021, what progress her Department has made on implementing that report’s recommendation on finding a viable mechanism for automatic enrolment in free school meals.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM). Since 2010, the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than two million, thanks to the introduction of universal infant free school meals, plus generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010.
FSM take-up was estimated to be 89% according to benefits data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and December 2012/January 2013 census data. The relevant publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of pupils who would become eligible for FSM through automatic enrolment. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.
The Department has previously had discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about auto-enrolment functionality, but there are complex data, systems, financial and legal implications to such a change.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many additional pupils in England would receive free school meals in the event that automatic enrolment was introduced.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming free school meals (FSM). Since 2010, the number of children receiving a free meal at school has increased by more than two million, thanks to the introduction of universal infant free school meals, plus generous protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010.
FSM take-up was estimated to be 89% according to benefits data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and December 2012/January 2013 census data. The relevant publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of pupils who would become eligible for FSM through automatic enrolment. The Department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and Local Authorities. The Department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.
The Department has previously had discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about auto-enrolment functionality, but there are complex data, systems, financial and legal implications to such a change.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of Impact on Urban Health Cost in its report Investing in Children’s Future: A Cost Benefit Analysis of Free School Meal Provision Expansion that provision of free school meals to all primary school students would generate £41.3bn in direct benefits to schools, families and the NHS and a further £58.2bn in benefit to the wider economy, if he will make it his policy to expand eligibility for free school meals to all primary school students.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.
The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to analysis by the Child Poverty Action Group published on 1 September 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that analysis's findings on the proportion of children living in poverty in London who are not eligible for free school meals; and whether he plans to take steps to reduce that proportion.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.
The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) funding free school meals for all primary school children and (b) raising the earnings threshold for Free School Meals to £20,000 per year before benefits.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.
The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to implement the National Food Strategy's recommendation of raising the earnings threshold for Free School Meals to £20,000 per year before benefits.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.
The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allocate funding from the public purse to wraparound and holiday childcare services.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The department does not currently hold a central register of wraparound providers. Therefore we are unable to make an accurate assessment of the effect of a potential reduction of providers. However, we understand and recognise that the wraparound childcare sector, like many sectors, is facing unprecedented financial pressures as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. We also recognise the value this sector offers to our children and young people, in terms of the enriching activities they provide and, in particular, the valuable support they provide to our working parents and carers, and to vulnerable children.
Ensuring working parents and carers have access to the childcare they need remains a priority for the government. We acknowledge that this childcare will be crucial in the UK’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak. That is why we have ensured that all before and after-school clubs, holiday clubs, and other out-of-school settings have been able to continue to stay open for children eligible to attend school on-site (i.e. for critical worker children, and vulnerable children and young people), for the duration of the recent national lockdown. From 8 March wraparound childcare and other children’s activities have been able to open for all other children, where their parents/carers need the provision to support them to work, attend education, seek medical care or attend a support group, as well as for other essential purposes. Vulnerable children can attend childcare and other children’s activities in all circumstances.
The government has made a range of financial packages of support available for businesses to access throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes tax relief, business loans or cash grants through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, as well as a £594 million discretionary fund for councils and the devolved administrations to support local businesses that may not be eligible for other support, during the current national lockdown.
We are also still encouraging all local authorities to consider using local grants that have been made available to them during the COVID-19 outbreak, to support the wraparound childcare sector in their areas, and to safeguard sufficient childcare provision for all families. This includes the expanded Holiday Activities and Food Programme which comprises a £220 million fund to be delivered through grants to local authorities. This programme will give children eligible for free school meals the option to join a free holiday-time programme that provides healthy food and enriching activities during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.