Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand the eligibility for free school meals.

The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children from out-of-work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government. Under the benefits-related criteria, the department provides a free healthy meal to around 1.7 million children, ensuring they are well-nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve in the classroom.

Under this government, eligibility for FSM has been extended several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century, including the introduction of universal infant FSM, and further education FSM.

The temporary extension of FSM eligibility to some groups with no recourse to public funds, that has been in place since 2020, was extended to all groups and made permanent, subject to income thresholds.

The department will continue to keep all free school meal eligibility under review, to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.