Labour has today demanded that the Government extend free school
meals over the upcoming February half term, warning that millions
of children face going hungry “yet again” over the school
holidays.
With half term looming and the Government once again refusing to
extend free school meals over the school holidays, Labour is
accusing the Prime Minister of leaving hungry children with
nothing just weeks after condemning the disgracefully inadequate
food parcels being offered to children eligible for free school
meals by private providers.
Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, who was reliant on free
school meals when she was growing up, said that “we should not
even be having this discussion” almost a year into the
coronavirus crisis and after the Government was previously
“shamed into” extending free school meal support over the school
holidays.
The call comes ahead of Rayner and Labour’s Shadow Education
Secretary, , virtually meeting with families in Sheffield, where
the local Labour council is providing food vouchers to children
during the February half term and has distributed thousands of
laptops to support children without devices to access remote
learning.
The Government has refused to extend free school meals over the
February half term, saying that millions of families and children
can instead rely on the Covid Winter Support Grant funding.
However, the Government’s own guidance clearly states that the
Covid Winter Support Grant Scheme “is not intended to replicate
or replace free school meals”.
Last week Labour forced a vote in Parliament to guarantee
children receiving the full value of the free school meals scheme
including during school holidays, yet the Government whipped
Conservative MPs to abstain on the motion and Ministers are still
refusing to act to make sure children are fed over the half term
break.
Labour is calling on the Government to trust parents and give
them the money their children are entitled to, in order to end
the “obscene profiteering” of private companies making money from
children going hungry.
Labour’s Deputy Leader, , said:
“Almost a year into this pandemic children should not be in this
situation yet again, worried about going hungry during the school
holidays.
“The Prime Minister condemned the disgraceful food parcels that
hungry children have been given, yet now he is planning to leave
them without free school meals.
“The Government voted against free school meals in October, had
to be shamed into extending support over the Christmas holidays
and now they are letting down our children again.
“We should not even be having this discussion. Instead of
dragging their feet and leaving millions of families in the lurch
again the Government must make sure that no child goes hungry
this half term.”
Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education,
, said:
“The way that this government has treated children and families
during this pandemic is nothing short of disgraceful.
“The Government’s own guidance is clear, relying on the Covid
Winter Support Grant will not guarantee that every child eligible
for free school meals is fed during half term.
“The Government should trust parents and ensure that every child
receives the full value of their free school meals entitlement,
ending the obscene profiteering of private companies making money
from children going hungry.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. “Schools do not need to provide lunch parcels or vouchers
during the February half-term.”
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools
2. The government has said the Covid Winter Grant funding can be
used to provide free school meals support for children, but
guidance for the grant states:
“The COVID Winter Grant Scheme is not intended to replicate or
replace free school meals and authorities should avoid
duplicating provision where possible.” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-winter-grant-scheme/covid-winter-grant-scheme-guidance-for-local-councils#establishing-eligibility
3. At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 13 January
said, of the food parcels seen on social media:
“I don’t think anybody in this House is happy with the
disgraceful images we’ve seen of the food parcels that have been
offered. They are appalling, they are an insult to the families
that have received them.”
https://twitter.com/danbloom1/status/1349328989647679488
4. However, the food parcels appeared to be largely consistent
with the government’s own guidance on what the parcels need to
contain.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/free-school-meals-keir-starmer-pmqs-guidelines-b1786612.html
