Child Hunger in Schools Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Child Hunger in Schools

Lord Storey Excerpts
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

(1 year, 5 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord True Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Lord True) (Con)
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If I may, I will point out that we have heard only once from the Liberal Democrat Benches; others have been heard twice.

Lord Storey Portrait Lord Storey (LD)
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My Lords, of course no child should go starving. Would the Minister not consider extending the coalition’s policy of giving free school meals to all key stage 1 children to key stage 2, and at secondary school—key stage 3—ensure that every pupil whose parents are on universal credit gets a free school meal?

Baroness Barran Portrait Baroness Barran (Con)
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I think I have tried to answer that question in a couple of ways. It comes down to: should the Government be funding a number of separate things to support parents or should the Government be putting money in the hands of parents so that they can make the choices that are right for their families? This Government believe in the latter.