Free School Meals – SOUTHPORT MP Damien Moore

Labour are saying that we are taking away Free School Meals from children, this is just wrong. No child will lose their meals during the rollout of Universal credit as a result of these changes and our plans mean an extra 50,000 children will be eligible for a nutritious meal at school by 2022.

Labour’s claim that our changes could leave over a million children without this is deliberately misleading. Since 2010, we have extended the availability for free school meals to disadvantaged students in further education and introduced universal infant free school meals.

When Universal Credit was introduced, the Government were clear that they would set new criteria for free school meals. To ensure that no one was adversely affected during its roll out, the Government temporarily made families using Universal Credit a qualifying benefit for Free School Meals, regardless of income. As was made clear at the time, this was always an interim measure.

The opposition’s plans to extend Free School Meals to everyone in receipt of Universal Credit – which include families with income of £40,000 a year – would deliver high additional costs that would be borne by ordinary families, through higher taxes and more borrowing.

The Government’s approach will mean that if you receive a free school meal now – you will continue to do so until the end of the rollout of Universal Credit, planned for 2022, and then to the end of ether primary or secondary school (which ever you are in at this point).

I am committed to ensuring that disadvantaged, young people can access a free nutritious meal at school. Contrary to the misinformation peddled by the Labour Party, the Government is increasing the number of disadvantaged children who are eligible for this. Because of this I will be voting with the Government to extend the eligibility for Free School Meals. I hope that this helps to clarify the situation.