Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 2 November 2020 to Question 106891 on Windrush Lessons Learned Review, with reference to the review of how immigration status and no recourse to public funds interact with free school meals and other educational entitlements, which was planned to conclude by the end of 2020, what (a) recent steps she has taken to progress that review, (b) reason that review did not conclude in accordance with that timeframe, and (c) her revised timetable is for completing that review; and if she will make a statement.

The Department for Education is finalising its review of access to free school meals and other educational entitlements for families with no recourse to public funds. Home Office officials are supporting that work and I understand you met my Rt hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, earlier this year to discuss progress on the review. In the meantime, the temporary extension of eligibility to free school meals will continue until a long-term policy position has been agreed.

Current guidance regarding the extension to free school meals can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups(opens in a new tab).