(Cynon Valley) (Lab):...I
believe that access to sufficient, nutritious food is a basic
right. It is essential to the development and growth of our
children—our future generations—and the provision of free school
meals is fundamentally important to that. Guaranteeing children
at least one hot, healthy meal a day is a vital way of enabling
young people to develop, and there is strong evidence that it
improves their health and wellbeing, their academic performance
and our economic prosperity as a country. The Government like to
say that they have increased free school meal provision, but the
low household income threshold of £7,400 means that close to 1
million children living in poverty in England are not eligible
for the Government's free school meals scheme. Furthermore, as
the National Education
Union highlights, the divisions inherent in a
means-tested system mean that stigma remains a barrier to
accessing free school meals, even for parents who are aware of
their children's entitlement. It has been estimated that as many
as 215,000 eligible children missed out in 2020. As well as being
in the interests of children and their families, expanding free
school meal provision makes sense economically. Research
conducted by PwC has found that expanding free school meal
eligibility in line with universal credit has economic benefits.
I am proud to say that in Wales we are leading the way in many
regards—alongside the other devolved nations, I hasten to add. I
have been fortunate to be involved in a grassroots campaign that
has led to free school meals being provided in all primary
schools in Wales. That is part of the co-operation agreement
between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru. As of last month, all
primary school children in Wales, including in my constituency of
Cynon Valley, are receiving free school meals.
It is time for England to catch up. I commend the campaign work
that the Food Foundation has done through its Nourishing the
Nation campaign. I also commend the NEU's Free
School Meals for All campaign. I thank them for their briefings
ahead of the debate today. England can start to catch up with
Wales by ensuring that at least the 900,000 children living in
poverty who do not have access to free school meals can have
that...
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