A Plaid Cymru government will commit to the principle of free school meals for all

Plaid pledges to extend eligibility for free school meals

A Plaid Cymru Government would commit to the principle of free school meals for all its Leader Adam Price has said.

Mr Price said that his party would, as an immediate measure, extend the eligibility for all children whose families receive Universal Credit.

The Plaid Cymru Leader added that his government would publish a “clear timetable” to deliver universal free school meals, phase by phase, starting with infants before moving on to all primary school children and then secondary schools.

There are 600,000 children living in Wales – with 180,000 living in poverty.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price said that a “minimum requirement of any government” was to ensure that no child would “go to school hungry or to bed cold”.

Figures from the Child Poverty Action Group show that over 70,000 children living below the UK poverty line in Wales are not currently eligible for free school meals

Mr Price said that all the contracts for free school meals should be procured in Wales where possible to make the “square mile the food mile”  – supporting better health outcomes for children and Welsh businesses at the same time.”

The Plaid Cymru Leader called this the “first step” towards implementing universal provision of nutritious free school meals for all school-aged children in Wales and “ending poverty in Wales for good”.

In its report in June this year, the Bevan Foundation found a number of shortcomings with the current free school meals system in Wales. The value of the support they say is “not sufficient” to lift people out of poverty.

The Labour Government in Wales dropped their target to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

The Scottish Government has committed to universal free school meals for all primary school children and in 1943, Finland introduced a law demanding that free school meals be served to all children – a policy still in place today.

Over the summer, footballer Marcus Rashford called on the UK Government to provide free school meals in England.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price said,

“The minimum requirement of any government must be ensuring that no child to school hungry or to bed cold and yet over 70,000 children living below the UK poverty line in Wales are not currently eligible for free school meals. That is why a Plaid Cymru Government would commit to the principle of free school meals for all.

“As an immediate measure, we would raise the eligibility threshold so that children in every household in receipt of Universal Credit receives free school meals.

“We will publish a clear timetable to deliver universal free school meals, phase by phase, starting with infants, then for all primary school children as in Scotland, then secondary schools – aiming for 100% local procurement where possible to truly make the square mile the food mile. This would lead to better quality meals for our children and would support Welsh businesses in the process.

“This is the first step towards my main goal of implementing universal provision of nutritious free school meals for all school-aged children in Wales and ending poverty in Wales for good.