§ 21. Mr. Gowasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present actual cost per meal of providing school meals at primary and secondary schools; and the total estimated cost of the subsidy for these meals during the current financial year.
§ Miss Joan LestorThe latest estimate is that the average cost of providing a school meal is 34.25p and that the subsidy on the meal for the current year will be about £266 million.
§ 32. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the prices of school meals and his proposals for increases in the next 12 months.
§ Mr. MulleyEstimates of public expenditure up to 1978–79, given in the White Paper published in January last assumed that the charge for school meals would be increased periodically to maintain the subsidy on the meal at a broadly 381W constant proportion of total cost. I cannot at the moment give any further information about the timing or amount of the next increase in the charge.