Education

Thursday 21st January 2021 Ministerial Corrections

Remote Education and Free School Meals

The following is an extract from an Opposition day debate on 18 January 2021.

[Vicky Ford]

Schools can decide whether to offer lunch parcels or local vouchers, or use the national voucher scheme. Some schools and parents prefer those parcels, because that helps them keep in contact at this challenging time. The all-party parliamentary group on school food recommends and supports the use of lunch parcels. That all-party group is chaired by a Labour MP.

[Official Report, 18 January 2021, Vol. 687, c. 723.]

Letter of correction from the Under-Secretary of State for Education, the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford):

An error has been identified in my response to the debate.

The correct response should have been:

[Vicky Ford]

Schools can decide whether to offer lunch parcels or local vouchers, or use the national voucher scheme. Some schools and parents prefer those parcels, because that helps them keep in contact at this challenging time. The all-party parliamentary group on school food urged the Department to encourage schools to use their catering teams as a first port of call to deliver free school meal provision during the lockdown. That all-party group is chaired by a Labour MP.