Social Security: Child Poverty

Baroness Teather Excerpts

Wednesday 15th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right. We want to see everyone who can work working. That is why we have taken a number of actions to fix our broken social security system and to get people into work, particularly when it comes to targeting the over 1 million NEETs—young people not in education, employment or training—and giving them a start. For instance, the new youth jobs grant incentivises employers to take on young people who have been on universal credit for over 18 months, giving them jobs, with a £3,000 grant.

[Baroness Teather (LD)]

My Lords, it is hugely welcome that all children in families receiving universal credit will be eligible for free school meals from September, but we know that many who are already eligible do not receive their free school meal for a whole host of reasons, including stigma. Will the Government consider adopting auto-enrolment to ensure that no child who needs this meal misses their chance of receiving it?

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is right about the impact of free school meals. The unprecedented expansion of free school meals that this Government are implementing will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the final year of this Parliament, which is equivalent to increasing each family’s income by £500 a year. On auto-enrolment, extending free school meals to all households in receipt of universal credit will make it easier for parents to understand their entitlement. We are updating the eligibility checking system, which will make it easier for local authorities and schools to check whether children are eligible. We are closely monitoring this and will consider further action if necessary.