Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to ensure that every child has access to at least one hot meal each day.

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.

Our latest guidance for schools is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

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

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. Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate arrangements for eligible pupils and this can include food parcel arrangements, alternative voucher arrangements or provision through the national voucher scheme. Some schools may apply a combination of these approaches. 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. We would also always encourage schools to ensure pupils are provided with healthy and nutritious meals. There is no legal requirement that meals should be hot, however we encourage all schools to routinely be offering a hot meal option to those attending school.

We recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why, on 31 March, we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education. Families are free to select the most appropriate food and drink for their child. When selecting products, we encourage families to consider health and nutrition. The School Food Standards may act as a useful guide for families. There are a number of online resources available to support families in preparing healthy and nutritious food, including on the NHS Eat Well website.