Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 7 March (HL5702), what is their estimate of the annual saving to HM Treasury from the changes to eligibility criteria for free school meals set out in the Free School Lunches and Milk, and School and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit) (England) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/148).

The new criteria for free school meals (FSM) will not result in savings. The department estimates that by 2022, around 50,000 more children will benefit from FSM compared to the previous benefits system, and this figure does not include children who will have their eligibility protected.

Any child entitled for FSM today where his or her parent(s) are in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) would remain eligible for FSM until the end of UC rollout, and after this point (if they are still in school) until the end of their phase of education.