Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free meals for children in the private, voluntary and independent early years sector.

The provision of free school meals (FSM) to the children of families who are out of work or on low income is important to the Government. The Department wants to target this support at the most disadvantaged families.

The legal requirement for the provision of meals, including free meals, applies to state funded schools, including Maintained Nursery Schools and nursery provision in primary schools. The requirements do not apply to independent early years providers.