HC Deb 16 December 1977 vol 941 c602W
Mrs. Chalker

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schoolchildren were taking school meals at the end of October 1977; and what proportion of each of these was a free entitlement.

Miss Margaret Jackson

On the day of the October census 2,974,470 primary and 1,790,460 secondary pupils in England took school meals. Of these 17.9 per cent. of primary and 20.4 per cent. of secondary meals were free.