Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have carried out any research to ascertain the physical and mental effects on the ability of children from low income households to learn caused by poor nutrition during long school holidays.

The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]

The Government has made no specific assessment of the effects on child nutrition in low income households during school holidays.

Universal infant free school meals will ensure that up to 1.5 million additional pupils are being offered a free nutritious meal every school day, helping them to do better in school, eat healthily and saving families up to £400 a year.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017