Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the take-up of the Holiday and Food Activities programme to ensure the maximum number of children benefit.

The government is investing over £200 million a year in our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme over the next three years, distributed through all local authorities in England.

The programme is targeted primarily towards children who receive benefits-related free school meals (FSM). Local authorities also have discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of FSM, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.

Local authorities are encouraged to work with a wide range of organisations and partners across their local area and ensure schools and other services are on board with directing children and families to the programme. To support local authorities, the government has appointed a national support partner, Childcare Works, who help local authorities to use their funding as effectively as possible and to target their programme at those most in need. The government has also provided local authorities with a communication toolkit to support local promotion of the programme.