To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) his plans to provide free school meals for all pupils; (ii) the yearly cost for such a scheme; and (iii) the conversations he has had with unions and relevant stakeholders regarding the benefits of free school meals for all pupils.

(i) Free school meals are currently provided to ensure pupils of “non-working” and low income families have access to a nutritionally balanced meal suitable as the main meal of the day. The eligibility criteria are largely based on receipt of qualifying welfare benefits. Whilst there are no plans to provide free school meals for all children, I have recently agreed to a review of the free school meal and uniform grant eligibility criteria with a view to implementation of any recommendations in future years subject to available resources. The purpose of the review is to ensure that free school meals and uniform grants are available to support the most vulnerable children in our society. The option to provide universal free school meals to all or certain year groups of pupils will be considered as part of the review.

(ii) All viable options will be costed as part of the review. It is however clear that as 28.4% of pupils currently are entitled to free school meals, the cost of providing free meals to all pupils would represent a significant increase in the funding required. Increased demand is likely to result also in capital costs to extend the capacity in school meals accommodation.

(iii) In developing options and making recommendations for the review of free school meals and uniform grants, the review team will consult widely with relevant stakeholders including trade unions.