§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he plans to change the criteria for qualification for free school meals; and if he will make a statement. [88270]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisDuring the passage of the Education Act 2002, the Secretary of State made it clear that she would protect the free school meals' entitlement of families who would otherwise lose this entitlement because they cease to be entitled to income support or income based jobseekers allowance and begin receiving child tax credits instead. The new system will be slightly more generous than the old system with around 75,000 more children from low income families eligible for free school meals from April 2003.