Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to introduce a tapered income for entitlement to free school meals under universal credit in order to incentivise being in employment.

Our new criteria for free school meals eligibility will set an annual earned income threshold of £7,400 for families in receipt of Universal Credit. This will, depending on a family’s exact circumstances, typically equate to an annual household income of between £18,000 and £24,000 when benefits are taken into account.

Establishing an earnings threshold for free school meals eligibility gives us a clear and practical system for schools and local authorities to deliver, and our Eligibility Checking System will make the checks simple and straightforward. We do not have any plans to introduce tapered eligibility criteria for free school meals. Such an option would add complexity for families and increase the administrative burden on schools and local authorities.