Schools: Free School Meals

Lord Watson of Invergowrie Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd May 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Agnew of Oulton]

My Lords, we are running a number of pilot schemes on food in school holidays, and we have quadrupled the amount of money this year to strengthen programmes to encourage co-ordination in local communities. Just two weeks ago, we announced a number of organisations that will be working across the country to do this. We hope to feed around 50,000 children during the holidays this summer.

[Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Lab)]

Can the Minister square his comment that all children are entitled to nutritious school meals with the fact that the Conservative Party’s 2017 manifesto committed to ending universal free school lunches for infants?

[Lord Agnew of Oulton]

My Lords, the reality is that we have not done that and are providing some 1.5 million infant meals at a cost of some £600 million a year.