Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of extending free school meals to all children of families in receipt of Universal Credit; and what assessment they have made of the current real value of the income eligibility limit, set in 2018, of £7,400.

The continued provision of school food has an important role to play in breaking the unfair link between background and opportunity, which is why the department is considering the government’s school food offer as part of our work on child poverty.

The transitional protections policy on free school meals (FSM), put in place in 2018 during the roll out of Universal Credit (UC), ensures that households in receipt of FSM will retain their entitlement during UC migration.

Support for children to access FSM has additionally been considered as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s consideration of how to:

• Support households to increase their income, including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.
• Help to bring down essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.
• Alleviate the negative experience of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.

As with all government programmes, the department will keep the approach to FSM under continued review.