§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schoolchildren were taking school meals at the end of September 1977; and what proportion of each of these was a free entitlement.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonComplete figures for the autumn term will not be available until next month and will relate to a day in October. Returns so far received show:
Pupils taking school meal Free meals as proportion of total school meals Total per cent. Primary 1,417,000 17.5 Secondary 821,000 20.0
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children in one-parent families obtain free school meals.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThis information is not available and could not be obtained without a major survey of all local education authority undertakings in this respect.
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many children received free school meals at the latest available date; how many are entitled to do so; and if she will list in percentage form the number of school children who received free school meals 161W in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977, respectively.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonThe last complete census showed that 5,705,486 pupils in England and Wales received a school meal on a day in May 1977. Of these, 882,678 pupils received a free meal. The latest available estimate of entitlement is that in 1976–77 75 per cent. of pupils eligible to receive a free meal actually did so. The final result of the October 1977 census of school meals will not be available until next month. The number of pupils taking free meals, expressed first as a percentage of pupils attending school and second as a percentage of pupils taking a school meal, for previous years—a day in October—are:
FREE SCHOOL DINNERS Proportion of numbers present Per cent. Proportion of total taking school dinner Per cent. 1973 … 9.7 14.7 1974 … 9.1 13.0 1975 … 9.3 13.3 1976 … 9.9 14.4
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will end the system where in some schools children in receipt of free school meals are issued with different coloured tickets and made to sit at special tables.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonLocal education authorities are responsible for making their own arrangements for the collection of dinner money and the issue of meal tickets or tokens, but they are reminded from time to time of the need to review their arrangements to ensure that pupils in receipt of free meals are not identified. Indeed, my right hon. Friend drew this point to the attention of authorities as recently as 26th July this year. To allow free school meal children to be identified is quite wrong, and if my hon. Friend will let me have the name of any school where this happens, I will see that this is taken up with the authority concerned.
§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what study she has made of the local authority reports showing a decrease of 15 per cent. to 22 per cent. in the number of children taking school meals; if she will now reduce the price of school meals 162W from 25p to the previous level of 15p; and if she will consider other steps to stimulate consumption of these meals.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonLocal education authorities are currently submitting returns to my Department about the take-up of pay and free meals on a day in October. The complete results are expected to be available next month. The returns so far received indicate an average fall-off of the order of 10 per cent. in the numbers taking meals. Several large authorities have not yet submitted their returns, so the final figure may well differ from this. An initial fall in the number of pupils taking and paying for a school meal was expected to follow the increase in the charge, but I do not anticipate that this will be permanent. At 25p for a meal costing about 50p, the school meal still represents good value, and I expect that, as on previous occasions when the charge was increased, the numbers taking school meals will tend to recover to their former level.
§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, after Monday 14th November, what will be the total revenue raised from school meal charges; what will be the cost of collecting this revenue; how many children will then be paying for their school meals; and what will be the actual cost of those meals as opposed to the charges levied.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonAn estimate for England and Wales relating to pupils' meals is as follows:
£ million Total revenue from school meal charges £190m Cost of collecting this revenue £7m Number of children paying for school meal 4m Cost of these meals £350m The figures show revenue in cash terms and expenditure at November 1976 prices and represent a full year of the current charge and of the remission arrangements which came into operation on 14th November.