Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2022 to Question 7964 on Free School Meals and Healthy Start Scheme: Universal Credit, if he will make it his policy to extend free school meals to everyone who receives Universal Credit; and if he will make a statement.

Under the benefits-related criteria, the department provides a free, healthy meal to around 1.9 million children, ensuring pupils are well nourished and can concentrate, learn, and achieve in the classroom.

Eligibility has been extended several times, and to more groups of children, than any other government over the past half a century. This includes the introduction of universal infant free school meals and further education free school meals.

The department has permanently extended eligibility to children from all groups with no recourse to public funds.

Schools fund benefit-related free school meals (FSM) from their core funding, which they receive through the schools block of the dedicated schools grant. This is derived from the national funding formula (NFF). For the 2022/23 financial year, the funding schools attract through the FSM factor in the NFF is increasing to £470 per eligible pupil.

The department is committed to aiming provision at supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work, or those on low income. The department will continue to keep all FSM eligibility under review, to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.