Contributions
1,271 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, I too pay tribute to Marcus Rashford and hope that his example of participation will inspire many other young people to speak up on the issues that they feel strongly…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundYes, my Lords, when the Government have listened and reviewed something it would be welcome if the focus could be on the children and what they will now receive as a result of the…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, since last Friday over £150 million has been distributed through the food voucher scheme but, as I outlined, some schools already operate their own voucher schemes. They…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, the Government always keep decisions under review and have listened; that is, as I have outlined, part of a mature democracy. The participation of people such as Marcus…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, the voucher system is now operating effectively. In addition to this system, holiday clubs have been run for the last two years. We are building on that with another £9…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, as I have outlined to other noble Lords, the Government keep decisions under review. We have listened, we recognise the pressures that families will be under this…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, 1.3 million children will indeed benefit from the support given over the summer holiday. This is in addition to increases of over £1,000 per household for those who…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, we recognise that during the pandemic there have been particular crises in relation to food support. Defra has given £3.5 million to a food charities grant fund,…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, as noble Lords will be aware, the free school meals system has normally operated only in term time, except for the holiday activity clubs, which, as I outlined, also…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, as requested, I have taken this forward with colleagues in BEIS and will have a reply imminently ready for the noble Lord. In relation to the operation of the scheme,…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, it is correct that the Government have temporarily extended free school meal eligibility to some groups of children where there is no recourse to public funds,…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, as I have outlined, because families cannot buy at the scale that schools can to provide free school meals, the vouchers are at £15 to provide lunches rather than the…17 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 Summer Food FundMy Lords, there are many cross-government meetings and initiatives to ensure that children’s situation is in the sight of the Ministers who need to have it. That is why, during…17 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, as I have outlined, secondary school children travel greater distances. Local authorities and schools are still under a duty to provide home-to-school transport within…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, throughout the crisis, the Government have been guided by the science. The view at the moment—based on SAGE and the best science we have—is that social distancing should…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, even before the summer, the Government have been clear in their guidance to schools that they should use outside space wherever possible when they reopen. We have…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, the clubs that I have outlined offer educational provision as well, but the noble Baroness is right about the transition year. That is why we have recommended that…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, there is indeed a high degree of confidence that the severity of the disease is lower in children than in adults. In the primary setting, we have been clear that we do…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, it is a great regret that the scientific evidence on social distances does not allow us to achieve our ambition of getting all primary schoolchildren back before the…11 Jun 2020HANSARDEducation Settings: Wider OpeningMy Lords, there are indeed 1.3 million children currently entitled to free school meals. We have offered that provision over both the half-term and Easter holidays since schools…11 Jun 2020