Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who he consulted in making the decision not to extend the free school meals voucher scheme over the school summer holidays in 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the coronavirus outbreak, the government fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak.
In response to Covid-19, the government has made significant wider support available for children and families, injecting over £6.5 billion into the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. This includes increasing the standard rate of Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit for this year by around £1,000 per year. On 10 June, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed an additional £63 million to be distributed to local authorities in England to help those who are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to COVID-19. A further £3.2 billion has gone to local authorities, supporting them with frontline services. Additionally, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are providing £16 million for food support through charities including FareShare and WRAP. This summer, the department will also again run the Holiday Activities & Food programme, through which thousands of disadvantaged pupils will benefit from support.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to tackle delays in delivery of food vouchers through the free school meals scheme.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Since the launch of the free school meals voucher scheme, it has been upgraded and is working well for thousands of schools and families. Our supplier Edenred has indicated that orders are currently processed well within the 4-day period specified within our guidance to schools. Edenred has reported that over £169 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Friday 19 June, and that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the number of supermarkets where free school meal vouchers are redeemable; and if he will take steps to help ensure that those vouchers are redeemable at (a) Co-op, (b) Spar and (c) all other supermarkets.
Answered by Vicky Ford
During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are at home and eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. 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. However, 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.
The vouchers for free school meals can currently be spent in a variety of supermarkets. Initially, the scheme included supermarkets that already have e-gift card arrangements in place with our supplier, Edenred, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose. On Monday 27 April, we added Aldi to this list and on Wednesday 29 April, we added McColl’s. We have been working with other supermarkets to encourage them to join. Any additional supermarkets would need to have the right infrastructure to deliver e-gift cards across their network of stores.
Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate free school meal arrangements for eligible pupils during this period.
As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.
Where this is not possible, schools can use the national voucher scheme or make alternative voucher arrangements locally. Our guidance for schools sets out that they can be reimbursed for costs incurred where the national voucher scheme is not suitable for their families, and this can include alternative voucher arrangements with supermarkets that are not part of the national voucher scheme.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to ensure infants eligible for free school meals that receive vouchers under the universal infant free school meals will continue to receive those vouchers during summer holiday 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Infant pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals will be eligible to receive vouchers as part of the COVID-19 Summer Food Fund. However, this provision is not available for children who receive universal infant free school meals and who are not eligible for benefits-related free school meals. It is right that we concentrate resources on those who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals at this time.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of his Department's initial decision not to implement the national voucher scheme during the 2020 school summer holiday on (a) BAME children and adults and (b) people with other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund that will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak. As we have announced this provision will take place, we will not publish an assessment of any alternative scenarios.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of not extending the free school meals voucher scheme over the 2020 school summer holidays on foodbank usage.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to COVID-19, the government fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the outbreak and builds on wider support put in place by the government. This support includes the Department for Education’s holiday activities and food programme, providing support to thousands of disadvantaged children this summer, and our investment of up to £35 million in a national breakfast clubs programme, which provides a healthy start to children in schools in disadvantaged areas.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of extending the free school meals voucher scheme on levels of child poverty.
Answered by Vicky Ford
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. ?As the Education Secretary has set out, we are listening to those who need help and taking substantial action during this unprecedented time to make sure no child goes hungry.
Our latest guidance on free school meals is set out below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a Covid Summer Food Fund which will enable children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period.
The government has made significant wider support available for children and families at this time. On 10 June, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, confirmed an additional £63 million to be distributed to local authorities in England to help those who are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to COVID-19. In addition, the government has introduced an uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit by around £1,000 a year for the next 12 months as part of an injection of over £6.5 billion by the government into the welfare system.
Additional support has been pledged by various departments across the government with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announcing the provision of £16 million for food support through charities, including FareShare and WRAP. DEFRA have also issued 2 million food packages to those who are shielding.
The Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme ensures that thousands of disadvantaged children have access to enriching activities and nutritious healthy meals over the summer.
More widely, the government has supported families to cope with the impact of COVID-19 by introducing a range of support measures, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. Support has also been provided to help families pay their rent or mortgage, access sick pay, and delay tax payments.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he will take to ensure that free school meal vouchers provided during the school holidays are not spent on (a) alcohol and (b) other non-food items.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID-19 Summer Food Fund which will enable families with children who are eligible for free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the 6-week holiday period.
Families are free to select the most appropriate food for their child. When selecting products, we encourage families to consider health and nutrition. The School Food Standards and the NHS Eat Well website may act as a useful guide for families. These can be found at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england and;
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/?tabname=recipes-and-tips.
The vouchers should be used for food and must not be redeemed for any age-restricted items, such as alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets. I have recently written to participating supermarkets to ensure their ongoing support in relation to these restrictions.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Berridge on 21 May (HL4173), when they intend to add supermarkets owned by the Co-op to the list of those participating in the COVID-19 national voucher scheme for children eligible for free school meals.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The vouchers for free school meals can currently be spent in a variety of supermarkets. Initially, the scheme included supermarkets that already have e-gift card arrangements in place with our supplier: Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. On Monday 27 April, we added Aldi to this list and on Wednesday 29 April, we added McColl’s. We have been working with other supermarkets to encourage them to join. Any additional supermarkets would need to have the right infrastructure to deliver e-gift cards across their network of stores.
Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate free school meal arrangements for eligible pupils during this period. In the first instance, we are asking schools to speak to their catering teams and food suppliers about preparing meals or food parcels that could be collected by or delivered to families that are not in attendance. Where this is not possible, schools can use the national voucher scheme or make alternative voucher arrangements locally. Our guidance for schools sets out that they can be reimbursed for costs incurred where the national voucher scheme is not suitable for their families, and this can include alternative voucher arrangements with supermarkets that are not part of the national voucher scheme.
We thank all supermarkets for their hard work during these challenging times.
These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2020 to Question 48566 on Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes, on what date the first e-Code email that hard bounced was sent prior to being discovered by Edenred on the weekend starting 2 May 2020; for what reason there was a gap between that discovery and Edenred contacting schools to alert them to the problem on 7 May 2020; and what estimate he has made of the number of eligible children who missed out on free school meals as a result of that issue.
Answered by Vicky Ford
During this period, we are asking schools to support children at home who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. However, 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 the national voucher scheme, our supplier, Edenred, has indicated that orders are processed within four days. The latest information provided by Edenred indicates that parents and schools are facing minimal or no waiting time for orders that are placed online, despite continued growth in the number of parents and schools using the scheme.
We do not hold data regarding the timescale of individual hard bounces, but we can confirm that Edenred acted promptly upon discovering the issue. On 7 May, Edenred issued communications to schools with hard bounce backs to let them know that they had input incorrect parent email addresses. Further to this, in the week commencing 11 May, Edenred issued additional communications to schools to address a number of incomplete orders which required further action from the schools, and again highlighted that some orders used incorrect or invalid parent email addresses.
We are continuing to work very closely with Edenred to improve the performance of the national voucher scheme. The scheme continues to get easier and faster to use, putting supermarket vouchers into the hands of thousands of families and schools.
The department is closely monitoring the delivery of the national voucher scheme. However, we do not hold information on provision for each eligible family.
As of Wednesday 3 June, Edenred has reported that over £129 million worth of voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket e-gift cards by schools and families through the scheme. Edenred has reported that over 17,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 26 May.
These are rapidly developing circumstances. We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.