Contributions
727 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSchool FoodThis Government are today taking another step to delivering our plan for change as we announce that all children in households in receipt of universal credit will be eligible for…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend is a real champion for children and young people in her constituency and in this place. As she rightly says, this announcement represents a significant expansion of…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI thank the hon. Member for welcoming so positively the announcement today. She has been, like so many others in her party, a real champion on these matters. She has made clear in…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI thank the hon. Lady for her question and for her time as a school governor, especially as we mark Volunteers’ Week. The work of school governors up and down the country is…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsAs my hon. Friend knows, this Government are determined to bring down child poverty. This is a complex area that we need to get right, and it is not for me to comment on…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsThis, of course, is the latest step in our plan for change to put extra pounds in parents’ pockets. It is a down payment on the child poverty strategy, as I mentioned earlier,…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsThe hon. Member will know that the pupil premium is additional funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England. Pupil premium…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsWasn’t that a nice try, Madam Deputy Speaker? Let us be clear: we are taking urgent action in the light of the scar of poverty on our society. We have the spending review next…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend is a real champion for children and young people in her constituency. She is absolutely right to set out the differences in the cost of living that this policy will…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI am not sure whether my office will be happy about that, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I am sure we can make it happen. I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. I also want to pay…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI cannot believe that I did not hear the Opposition spokesperson welcome our announcement. It is a shame that when the Conservatives were in government tackling child poverty was…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend is right to set out that mental health can be a barrier to every child having the opportunity to succeed and thrive. He will know that we are investing in mental…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsWith permission, I will make a statement to update the House on free school meals for children. This is a Government who put children first—they are at the centre of the change…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsIf we are to get the benefits right on free school meals, we must ensure that the quality of the food is nutritious for all children. As I mentioned in my statement, this is good…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI thank my hon. Friend for her question. I know that one reason she is in the House is to tackle deprivation and poverty across the country and in her own constituency. I assure…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsThe hon. Gentleman sets out the current position and what has happened in the past. What we are announcing today will lift more children out of poverty, because more children will…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend will know that we are already committed to rolling out breakfast clubs in every primary school. We want to ensure that there is more money in parents’ pockets…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsI assure my hon. Friend that we will publish an ambitious child poverty strategy later this year to ensure that we deliver fully funded measures that make a big difference to…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend really cares about these issues, and I thank her for raising these matters today. This is a significant first step in our ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty…05 Jun 2025HANSARD Free School MealsMy hon. Friend is right to raise the benefits that this measure will bring on attendance, attainment and behaviour. I know that she is a real champion on these issues and that she…05 Jun 2025