HC Deb 20 April 1967 vol 745 cc797-8
32 and 33. Miss Lestor

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is the cost of administering the school meals service;

(2) what estimate he has made of the saving from administrative costs if no charge at all were made for school meals.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

The cost of administering the school meals and milk service in 1966–67 was estimated at £4,741,000. I cannot estimate separately what part of this sum was directly attributable to the fact that charges are made.

Miss Lestor

Could the hon. Lady give some information about whether consideration has been given to abolishing completely any charge for school meals and paying for them by subsidy from the Exchequer, bearing in mind the great concern which many hon. Members feel for vast areas of children who are now suffering from child poverty?

Mrs. Williams

The total income which authorities receive from school meals is approximately £39 million, so it would mean a substantial increase in expenditure to meet the whole cost of this.

Mr. Coe

Would my right hon. Friend recognise that if the charge for meals cannot be abolished altogether, many of us feel that there are good financial, social and nutritional reasons why the charge should not be increased?

Mrs. Williams

My hon. Friend has made a number of submissions on this point. What he says, obviously, is being borne clearly in mind.