§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the number of pupils receiving free school meals at(a) primary and (b) secondary schools for each year since 1981.
§ Mr. ForthThe readily available information for pupils in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in England is as follows. Information for 1981 was not published, and no survey was undertaken in 1985. The discontinuity in the figures in 1988 reflects the introduction of a new provision in the Social Security Act 1986 which came into force in 1988. Before then, LEAs had discretionary powers to provide free school meals to whomsoever they wished. From 1988, LEAs must charge for meals provided to all pupils other than those in receipt of income support.
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Year Nursery' and Primary' Pupils Secondary Pupils 1982 533,140 398,190 1983 597,545 442,874 1984 651,647 461,954 1986 685,018 425,634 1987 682,804 386,383 1988 491,000 249,000 1989 515,395 235,270 1990 519,228 222,929 1991 562,993 235,107