Conservative MPs will next week vote to impose an income
threshold on families currently receiving universal credit to
significantly restrict the number of children eligible for a free
school meal.
The policy, which the Government sought to sneak through without
a vote, will mean over a million children growing up in poverty
will not be able to access a free school meal, according to the
Children’s Society.
For some children, this could literally mean the difference
between eating a hot meal that day, or going hungry.
As part of the same measure, the government is also planning to
remove free childcare from those earning above the threshold.
For those families that are affected, the income threshold will
create a cliff-edge, meaning some parents could be better off
either reducing their hours, or not taking additional hours or
pay rises, because moving just above the income threshold would
leave them hundreds of pounds worse off for each child
affected. This directly undermines the Government’s stated
aim of Universal Credit, to make work pay.
The Government’s plans to restrict free school meals and free
childcare will be brought to the Commons next week, following an
intervention from Labour to bring these heartless and short
sighted plans to a binding vote.
MP, Labour’s Shadow
Secretary of State for Education, said:
“The Tories are trying to leave over a million children without
access to free school meals and struggling parents without
childcare. To add insult to injury, they are trying to sneak this
heartless plan through without proper scrutiny from MPs.
“Tory MPs who believe that over a million children in poverty
should go without a hot meal at school should be honest with
their constituents and actually vote for it.
“But this is a Government with no majority in Parliament, and
with opposition to the policy by those that are propping them up,
the Tories should take this chance to think again.”
Ends
Editor’s Notes:
1. The Government will announce today
(Thursday) a debate and vote on the floor of the House of
Commons, on the Free School Lunches and Milk and School
and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit)
(England) Regulations and the Local Authority
(Duty to Secure Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Amendment)
Regulations. The Regulations limit the eligibility of
children in families receiving Universal Credit for receiving
Free School Meals and free childcare for 2 year-olds.
2. Democratic Unionist Party MPs have made their opposition
to the change in policy on free school meals clear, with some
having signed Early Day Motions opposing the policy, including a
specific call “to reconsider these proposals and continue to
provide free school meals for all universal credit claimants and
ensure that no child goes hungry at school through no fault of
their own.” 
Source: Early Day Motion 1019, signed by the
DUP’s MP
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/1019


3. The Children’s Society have estimated that over a million
children in poverty will not be eligible for free school meals
under the Government’s plans, but would be if the transitional
measures of making all children in families receiving UC eligible
for FSM remained in place
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/press-releases/universal-credit-one-million-children-in-poverty-to-miss-out-on-free
4. Ministers have been accused of imposing controversial
policy decisions through ‘statutory instruments’, a form of
legislation that is fast-tracked through Parliament, often
without a vote of the full House of Commons or Lords. Labour
front benchers engineered next week’s votes through an obscure
parliamentary process known as ‘praying against’ the draft
regulations.
5. The Government have previously stated that Universal Credit
would ensure that work would always pay. The cliff-edge created
by the income threshold for FSM eligibility means this will not
be the case for many parents.
“At its heart, Universal Credit is very simple and will ensure
that work always pays and is seen to pay.”
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Universal
Credit: Welfare that works, p1
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48897/universal-credit-full-document.pdf
