HC Deb 27 October 1980 vol 991 cc83-7W
Mr. Race

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the local education authorities in England and Wales which provide free school meals (a) only for children from families in receipt of supplementary benefit or family income supplement, (b) for children who qualify under the former income eligibility limits and (c) for children who fall in between these two tests.

Dr. Boyson:

The information available in the Department is not sufficiently detailed to enable the question to be answered exactly in the form it was asked. However, based on informal inquiries, it appears that local education authorities in England are awarding free school meals during the autumn term as follows, though several are understood to be reviewing their arrangements.

(a) Authorities whose basic policy is to provide free meals only for children whose parents receive supplementary benefit or family income supplement.

  • Barking
  • Berkshire
  • Bromley
  • Buckinghamshire
  • Cheshire (secondary pupils only)
  • Cornwall
  • Croydon
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • East Sussex
  • Essex
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hampshire
  • Hereford and Worcester
  • Isle of Wight
  • Kent
  • Lincolnshire
  • Merton
  • Norfolk
  • Northamptonshire
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Oxfordshire
  • Redbridge
  • Richmond
  • Sefton
  • Solihull
  • Staffordshire
  • Suffolk
  • Surrey
  • Sutton
  • Trafford
  • Warwickshire
  • West Sussex
  • Wiltshire

(b) Authorities using the November 1979 income scale (which is based on net parental income) or an uprated version of that scale.

  • Avon
  • Barnsley
  • Bedfordshire
  • Bexley
  • Birmingham
  • Bolton
  • Bradford
  • Brent
  • Bury
  • Calderdale
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Cheshire (primary only)
  • Cleveland
  • Coventry
  • Derbyshire
  • Doncaster
  • Dudley
  • Durham
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Gateshead
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Hounslow
  • Humberside
  • ILEA
  • Kirklees
  • 85
  • Knowsley
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle on Tyne
  • Newham
  • North Tyneside
  • Rochdale
  • St. Helens
  • Salford
  • Salop
  • Sandwell
  • South Tyneside
  • Stockport
  • Sunderland
  • Tameside
  • Wakefield
  • Walsall
  • Waltham Forest
  • Wigan
  • Wirral
  • Wolverhampton

(c) Authorities awarding free school meals on the basis of policies falling between (a) and (b) including those using an income scale based on gross parental income.

  • Barnet
  • Cumbria
  • Hertfordshire
  • Kingston on Thames
  • Lancashire
  • Leicestershire
  • Northumberland
  • North Yorkshire
  • Oldham
  • Rotherham
  • Sheffield
  • Somerset

LEA arrangements for the provision of free school meals in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

Mr. Race

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the charges that each local education authority in England and Wales plans to make for school meals as from September 1980.

Dr. Boyson:

According to information obtained informally by the Department in July, local education authorities in England were planning to charge for fixed-price school meals this term as follows:

Avon 50p
Barking 40p
Barnet 40p
Barnsley 35p
Bedfordshire 55p
Berkshire 40p
Bexley 50p
Birmingham 40p
Bolton 40p
Bradford 40p
Brent 35p
Bromley 50p
Buckinghamshire 50p
Bury 40p
Calderdale 35p
Cambridgeshire 45p
Cheshire 50p
Cleveland 40p
Cornwall 45p
Coventry 45p
Croydon 40p
Cumbria 45p
Derbyshire 40p*
Devon 50p
Doncaster 35p
Dorset 45p
Dudley 40p
Durham 36p
Ealing 50p
East Sussex 45p
Enfield 50p
Essex 50p
Gateshead 35p
Gloucestershire 50p
Hampshire 50p
Haringey 40p
Harrow 40p
Havering 50p
Hereford and Worcester 45p
Hertfordshire 55p
Hillingdon 45p
Hounslow 35p
Humberside 50p
ILEA 35p
Isle of Wight 45p*
Kent 40p*
Kingston on Thames 45p*
Kirklees 35p
Knowsley 40p
Lancashire 40p
Leeds 35p
Leicestershire 50p*
Lincolnshire 50p
Liverpool 40p
Manchester 40p
Merton 45p
Newcastle 40p
Newham 35p
Norfolk 50p
Northamptonshire 55p
North Tyneside 35p
Northumberland 55p
North Yorkshire 50p
Nottinghamshire 50p
Oldham 40p
Oxfordshire 40p
Redbridge 60p
Richmond 50p
Rochdale 40p
Rotherham 35p
St. Helens 40p
Salford 40p
Shropshire 40p
Sandwell 40p
Sefton 45p
Sheffield 38p*
Solihull 50p
Somerset 45p
South Tyneside 40p
Staffordshire 35p*
Stockport 45p
Suffolk 45p
Sunderland 35p
Surrey 45p
Sutton 40p
Tameside 35p
Trafford 45p
Wakefield 35p
Walsall 35p
Waltham Forest 35p
Warwickshire 50p
West Sussex 40p
Wigan 35p
Wiltshire 45p*
Wirral 45p
Wolverhampton 35p
* These authorities charge secondary pupils up to 10p more.

LEA charging policies in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.