§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, how many children in primary schools and secondary schools have started to have free school meals since his Department's latest campaign began; how many of these were already taking regular school meals but paying for them; and what is the additional annual cost to public funds of these extra free school meals.
274WCorps, the numbers actually on strength on 31st December and the numbers of observation posts manned in each of the five years were as follows:
§ Mr. Denis HowellOn the basis of incomplete returns I estimate that since the issue of the Secretary of State's message last November the number of children taking free meals has increased by about one quarter, the same as in the whole of the previous year. I do not know how many of these children were previously not taking meals or paying for them, and I cannot therefore estimate the additional cost to public funds.