Mixed reaction to free school meal announcement

Following the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement yesterday that all infant school children were going to get their school lunches for free. The cost is estimated to cost the taxpayer £600m and there is speculation that it is what the Lib Dems have got as pay off for not opposing the Tories married couples tax allowance. On making the announcement yesterday Nick Clegg described at the first step to universal free school meals saying "We will start with infant school pupils because teaching healthy habits young, and boosting attainment early, will bring the biggest benefits. Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society."

However Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg, responded to the announcement without responding to the policy and simply launched an attack on the integrity of the Liberal Democrats saying: "After three years of broken promises and empty words, people have come to judge the Lib Dems on what they do, not what they say. They talk about helping families but they will have taken up to £7 billion a year of support away from children by 2015; they talk about helping with school meals after supporting the Tories in scrapping Labour's plans to extend free meals for school kids. You can't trust a word the Lib Dems say." Although the Labour leader on the GLA (Greater London Assembly) Len Duvall welcomed the decision: "This is a fantastic policy and Labour-run London councils are already delivering it, they have shown that it is possible."

The Director General at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mark Littlewood, criticised the decision as a "bad use of public money". Mr Littlewood commenting said: "This is an enormously bad use of public money. Not unreasonably, the government already ensures that those in need have access to free school meals, so it beggars belief that we are now going to see a policy instated which will subsidise the children of affluent families. If the government meaningfully wants to ease the burden of rising living costs then they would be better placed to introduce a £437 tax cut each year and give parents some choice."

However welcoming the announcement from Nick Clegg that infant children will be getting free school meals. Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers the largest teachers’ union, said: "The NUT welcomes the announcement on free school meals for infant pupils but remains committed to the ambition of universal free school meals for all primary school pupils, as recommended in the School Food Plan. Children however do not stop being hungry at 7years of age. We hope that today’s announcement represents just the start of rolling out free schools meals to all children in primary schools before the end of this Parliament."

Continuing Ms Blower said: "The health benefits of eating a nutritious lunchtime meal cannot be overestimated. Teachers are well aware of the impact on children’s concentration and behaviour and the long term benefits for their educational attainment. With ever increasing rates of child poverty and childhood obesity, universal primary free school meals will not only bring about clear health and education benefits but will help support low income working parents and help to tackle child poverty".