§ 14. Mr. Garrettasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the provision of resources for school meals.
§ Mr. DunnThe Government's forecast of expenditure on school meals next year is for a modest reduction of present levels of spending. However, we continue to regard school meals as one of the services where many LEAs could achieve substantial savings in their net costs by introducing more efficient methods of working. Grant-related expenditure has been assessed on that basis.
§ 23. Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what figures he has on the number of staff employed in the supervision of school meals.
§ Mr. DunnFigures for midday supervision will be available in the spring when the results of the October 1986 school meals census are known.
§ 37. Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make it his policy to introduce national nutritional standards for school meals.
§ Mr. DunnNo. It is for local education authorities to decide what standards and quantities of food should be made available and for parents to decide what their children should eat.
§ Sir Brandon Rhys Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now estimate the cost for the United Kingdom as a whole in 1985–86 of school meals provided free of charge for (a) pupils and (b) staff.
§ Mr. DunnIt was not practicable to hold a school meals census in October 1985 in England in view of the disruption to the service caused by the teachers' dispute. The Department therefore does not have the information to calculate the proportions of school meals expenditure attributable to free meals for pupils and staff. The school meals service in the rest of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.