Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to continue the contract with Edenred as the provider of Free School Meals vouchers.

The national voucher scheme with Edenred re-opened on Monday 18 January 2021. Schools have begun ordering and families have already begun redeeming supermarket vouchers.

During the period of national lockdown, schools should continue to provide meal options for all pupils who are in school. Meals should be available free of charge to all infant pupils and pupils who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals who are in school.

Schools should also continue to provide free school meal support to pupils who are eligible for benefits related free school meals and who are learning from home. Extra funding will be provided to support schools to provide food parcels or meals to eligible children.

Schools are free to decide the best approach for their free school meal pupils. They can provide lunch parcels, locally arranged vouchers, or they can use the national voucher scheme. Further details are set out in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.