§ Miss Maynardasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the administrative costs of operating the free school meals service in the last full financial year.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonMy Department does not have this particular information. The cost to local education authorities specifically attributable to organising and administering the school meals service as a whole in 1976–77 was £11 million. This was apart from the other elements of salaries, wages, etc., which bring total overheads to £358 million.