SCHOOL MEALS (Hansard, 15 July 1998)

§ Ms Estelle Morris
I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

Mr. Deputy Speaker
With this, it will be convenient to discuss Lords amendments Nos. 131 to 136.

§ Ms Morris
The amendments clarify the powers taken in the legislation on school meals. They extend the 501 Secretary of State's power to set nutritional standards for lunches served in pupil referral units and maintained nursery schools. Part of the reason for that clarification is that the original wording dealt with maintained schools and schools maintained by local authorities. We found that PRUs and maintained nursery schools fell outside the legislation.
The amendments place a duty on local authorities to provide paid lunches for pupils under compulsory school age only when those pupils are full-time. Many pupils under school age who attend nursery are part-time. We have not put a duty on local authorities to provide lunches in those circumstances. Where lunches are provided for children under the legal age of starting school, they should abide by the nutritional standards on which we shall shortly consult.
The amendments also define what a school lunch is, in case anyone has any doubt or has forgotten the days when we used to partake of them.

§ Mr. Don Foster
Great.

§ Ms Morris
I am not sure that "great" is the adjective that I would apply. School meals can be but are not always a set meal. As we know, the majority of secondary schools and an increasing number of primary schools now have a cafeteria-style system rather than providing the same set meal that every child must eat.
The amendment clarifies the meaning of a school meal, so that, when we consult on the nutritional standards, all children benefit from an important attempt to ensure that our children grow up on a healthy diet and are encouraged to eat such.