§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children in(a) Dundee and (b) Tayside region are currently in receipt of free school meals; and how many he estimates will lose this entitlement from April.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythDetails regarding school meals are collected centrally on a regional basis and information taken from the 1987 census indicates that 7,921 pupils in Tayside region were in receipt of free meals. This figure is not broken down by entitlement, but it is estimated that supplementary benefit recipients, for whom the position will not change, represent about 70 per cent. of those receiving free meals. The remainder, who benefit because their parents are in receipt of family income supplement or by virtue of the authorities discretion will lose their entitlement, but, because the children's rates of family credit will take account of the cost of school meals, I expect that, overall, more pupils will benefit under the new arrangements.