School Holidays (Meals and Activities) Bill

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent Excerpts

2nd reading: House of Commons
Friday 19th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Nadhim Zahawi]

I want to make a little more headway.

It is important for any provision to take account of local need, so we will seek to ensure that our approach can respond to a variety of circumstances and contexts. For example, we will aim to cover rural as well as urban areas, to work with different types of schools and across educational phases, and to ensure that provision can be accessed by children with special educational needs and disabilities. We will build links with and between local partners by, for instance, assisting voluntary and community sector organisations to work collaboratively with schools to achieve those aims.

[Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Lab)]

Will the Government also use research from pilots that the voluntary sector led last year, when 10,500 meals were served in my constituency?

[Nadhim Zahawi]

I would very much like to see that research. We will both collate research already done and commission new research. We want to get this right.

The research programme will begin immediately and will include some initial work in the 2018 summer holidays followed by further piloting in the 2019 Easter and summer holidays. The Government work will investigate how to provide a balanced, enriched programme for the most disadvantaged school-age pupils.

The debate stood adjourned (Standing Order No. 11(2)).

Ordered, That the debate be resumed on Friday 27 April.