WORDS from WESTMINSTER Friday 9Th

WORDS FROM WESTMINSTER

Friday 9th May 2014

Contents

Written Parliamentary Questions - Westminster

 Question from Tobias Ellwood to the Education Secretary on the expansion of kitchens in Bournemouth - 06.05.14  Questions from Andy Sawford to the Education Secretary on the monitoring of hot meal options in primary schools and on the average cost of a primary school meal - 06.05.14  Question from Helen Jones to the Education Secretary on the expansion of kitchens - 06.05.14  Questions from John Woodcock to the Education Secretary on the average cost of a primary school meal and on the expansion of catering staff - 06.05.14  Question from Luciana Berger to the Education Secretary on the 2012 School Food Trust Survey - 06.05.14  Question from Tracey Crouch to the Health Secretary on obesity in children - 06.05.14  Question from Diane Abbott to the Education Secretary on nutritional standards - 08.05.14

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 06.05.14

Tobias Ellwood (Con, Bournemouth East): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial provision he is making available to schools in Bournemouth for expansion of kitchens to provide free school meals for under sevens.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The Department for Education is providing £150 million capital funding in the 2014-15 financial year to enhance school kitchen and dining facilities across England. From this, Bournemouth borough council was allocated £307,007 capital funding for its maintained and voluntary aided schools, and academies in Bournemouth were able to bid to the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund. In addition, Bournemouth borough council has been allocated £1.6 million in general schools capital maintenance funding, and is free to draw on that to improve kitchen facilities if that is a priority locally.

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 06.05.14

Andy Sawford (Lab, Corby): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to monitor how many primary schools offer a hot meal option to all pupils in reception, year one and year two from September 2014.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): We have made it clear that, as schools implement the universal infant free school meals policy, they should ensure that pupils are routinely offered the option of a hot meal.

We will monitor the take-up of school meals through the Schools Census for children in reception, year one and year two beginning in the autumn term of the 2014/15 academic year.

Andy Sawford (Lab, Corby): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost was of a primary school meal in each local authority in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013. [196878]

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The Department for Education does not hold the information requested.

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 06.05.14

Helen Jones (Lab, Warrington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much he has allocated to each local authority with responsibility for education to expand kitchens in order to provide free school meals for children under seven.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): Capital allocations to local authorities to support the introduction of universal infant free school meals were announced on 18 December 2013. A table showing the allocation to each local authority is available at the following link:

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 06.05.14

John Woodcock (Lab, Barrow-in-Furness): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost of a primary school meal was in 2013.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The Department for Education does not hold the information requested. John Woodcock (Lab, Barrow-in-Furness): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of additional catering staff needed in schools to deliver the extension of free school meals to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in September 2014. [197436]

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): This information is not held centrally.

In his autumn statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced over £1 billion revenue funding for universal free school meals for pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 between 2014 and 2016. This funding, which includes special provision of £22.5 million for small schools in 2014-15, will be used by schools to pay for the cost of producing school lunches for newly eligible pupils, including any additional staff required.

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 06.05.14

Luciana Berger (Lab, Liverpool Wavertree): To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report , columns 707-8W, on school meals, how many academies (a) were invited to respond and (b) responded to the survey by the School Food Trust in 2012.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The School Food Trust (now the Children's Food Trust) wrote to more than 1,500 academies in January 2012. Of the 641 academies that replied, 635 said they were committed to following the new food standards, even though they are not required to do so.

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Health - 06.05.14

Tracey Crouch (Con, Chatham and Aylesford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children in (a) Chatham and Aylesford constituency, (b) Kent and (c) England were diagnosed as overweight in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison (Lab, Battersea): Data on childhood obesity are not collected at constituency level but at local authority level. Chatham falls within the unitary authority boundary of Medway and Aylesford falls within the district authority boundary of Tonbridge and Malling. The data has been presented for these local authority organisations as an approximate for the levels of childhood obesity in the Chatham and Aylesford constituency.

The proportion of children classified as overweight in Chatham and Aylesford constituency (represented by Medway and Tonbridge and Malling respectively), Kent and England as measured by the National Child Measurement Programme 2006-07 to 2012/-13 is shown in the following table:

Prevalence (%) of overweight (including obese) among children aged 4 to 5 (r eception) and 10 to 11 (y ear 6) years

Percentage

England Kent Tonbridge and Malling Medway

Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6

2006-07 22.9 31.7 22.7 30.9 19.6 27.8 20.5 34.6

2007-08 22.6 32.6 22.6 30.3 20.9 29.3 17.9 35.9

2008-09 22.8 32.6 23.0 32.5 20.5 32.7 25.3 34.1

2009-10 23.1 33.4 23.8 32.8 21.9 28.1 23.9 34.3

2010-11 22.6 33.4 22.9 33.3 29.1 32.6 24.2 33.3

2011-12 22.6 33.9 21.7 32.7 19.0 33.1 23.8 34.0

2012-13 22.2 33.3 21.7 32.7 20.9 31.3 23.3 32.7

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 08.05.14

Diane Abbott (Lab, Hackney North and Stoke Newington): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that school lunches in academies and free schools meet the nutritional standards of those in the state sector; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The revised school food standards will apply to single mainstream academies and free schools opening from July 2014, other mainstream academies and free schools opening from autumn 2014, and non-mainstream academies opening later in 2014. Academies set up prior to 2010 already have to comply.

During their review of school food, the authors of the School Food Plan approached several academy chains, including the Harris Federation, the Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust, and the School Partnership Trust. All agreed in principle to comply with the standards and the Leon Foundation are encouraging as many academies and free schools as possible to sign up formally to the new standards.

99% of those academies which responded to a survey by the School Food Trust in 2012 said they were committed to following the new food standards.