Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children with working parents qualify for free school meals.

The information requested is not held centrally. Free school meals (FSM) are aimed at families who are out of work, and those in work with low earnings.

To be eligible to receive FSM, a pupil or their parent must be in receipt of one of the following listed benefits, and must make a claim to the school for FSM. The benefits include:

Income Support,

income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance,

income-related Employment and Support Allowance,

support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999,

the guaranteed element of Pension Credit,

Child Tax Credit (provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190),

Working Tax Credit run-on, paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit,

Universal Credit - if they apply on or after 1 April 2018 their household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits they get).