School Meal Charges

HC Deb 26 July 1977 vol 936 cc290-3

9. Mr. Neubert

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether charges for school meals will be increased in the autumn of 1977.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

Yes, Sir. As already announced in the public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 6721), it is the Government's intention to increase the school meal charge to 25p this autumn. Entitlement to free school meals will be substantially widened.

Mr. Neubert

How much is the present total net cost to the Exchequer of subsidised school meals, and what will it be from September? Are there not educational purposes on which this money might be better spent?

Mrs. Williams

I am afraid that I cannot give the total net cost without notice of the question, but I can say that the cost of the revised remission is about £25 million, whereas if there had been no increase in charges of any kind the cost to authorities would have been between £60 million and £90 million. It would be about £90 million in a full year.

Mr. Hardy

Is my right hon. Friend aware that there is general recognition that the school meals scheme is a very important contribution to the health of the nation and that for that reason there is a great deal of anxiety that the extended entitlement to free school meals should be properly taken up? Will she give an assurance that her Department will concern itself with this problem?

Mrs. Williams

I thank my hon. Friend for what he has said. Free school meals are among the most widely taken up of any kind of income-related benefit. According to the latest figures there is about a 76 per cent. uptake, which is one of the highest of all such income-related benefits. If this position continues, another 625,000 children will be brought within the ambit of free school meals, which is almost a doubling of the present figure. That includes a rise in income of about £20 a week within which children will be entitled to free school meals.

12. Mr. Rathbone

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations have been made about the Government's proposals regarding charges for school meals for the next educational year.

18. Mr. Tim Renton

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations she has received about the Government's proposal to raise the price of school meals to 25p.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

My Department received 35 letters about the proposed increase to 25p. Sixteen of these were in favour of the increase this autumn, 15 were against, three thought that the charge should go up but by different amounts according to the age of the pupils, and one suggested that the charge should go up to 20p this autumn and to 25p next April.

Mr. Rathbone

Did the right hon. Lady receive any representations about the increased number of free school meals? Does she realise that in East Sussex alone this will cost the county council £6,300 per school day? [HON. MEMBERS: "What a shame."] It is, indeed, a shame. When our education services are being pared to the bone, contrary to all promises in the last Labour manifesto, is there not a better use for these limited Government funds to improve our education processes and teaching methods instead of giving these additional free school meals as the right hon. Lady has planned?

Mrs. Williams

If I may say so, the hon. Gentleman is hopelessly out of date. The Government have announced that the full additional cost of £25 million which arises from the extension of free school meals to about 625,000 more children will be borne by central Government funds and will not fall upon the rate support grant. We have gone further and said that we shall discuss with the local authorities the best way in which this money should be paid to help them. There is, therefore, no question of their having to bear the cost. In addition, about 625,000 children will not have to have the 15p a day paid for them. The extra £1.25 per child will be borne also by central Government funds.

Mr. Renton

Is it the fact that the Government propose to put up the charge for school meals from 15p to 25p this September? If that be so, do they not have to lay the orders to that effect this week?

Mrs. Williams

The orders are being laid today. The discussions between my Department and the local education authorities about the way to reimburse education authorities are now going ahead.

Mr. Moonman

Will my right hon. Friend take careful note of the fact that some local authorities are attempting to deal with this problem by alternative types of meal, in particular snack meals? When these experiments, such as that in Essex, are completed, will she make a close review of the matter before encouraging further local authorities to implement such schemes?

Mrs. Williams

I know of my hon. Friend's concern on this matter. I say at once that while authorities may, of course, introduce snack meals as an alternative to the school meal, should deplore any attempt to replace the school meal with a snack meal which has nothing like the same nutritional value.