Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking in response to reported failures in the service offered by Edenred on free school meals vouchers to ensure that any schools affected have adequate food provision to offer vulnerable students.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals, by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible. Where this is not possible, we have introduced a national voucher scheme to provide headteachers with additional flexibility to decide what is best for families at their schools. More information about the national voucher scheme is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

We are working closely with our supplier, Edenred, to improve the performance of the national voucher scheme. We are grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while we upgrade this service to meet increased demand.

Edenred has reported that over £70 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Tuesday 12 May, and that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 28 April. Schools will continue to receive their core funding allocations as normal. However, if schools are unable to use the national voucher scheme and choose an alternative approach, they can be reimbursed. Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-schools.

These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.