This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Changes to free school meal entitlement
29/05/2003
A Bill which seeks to bring free school meal entitlement
in line with changes to the UK benefits system was
published today.
The Executive Bill will amend section 53 of the
Education (Scotland) Act to ensure that the children of
families moving on to child tax credit will continue to be
entitled to free school meals.
The changes will also extend free school meal
entitlement for the first time to children of student
parents, and parents or carers with savings over £8000 but
on low income.
The new tax credit system will be mandatory from tax
year 2004-05. However, during the current transitional
year, claimants may opt to move to the new system or remain
with the existing benefit arrangements.
Following on from the publication of Hungry for Success,
the report of the Expert Panel on School Meals, the
Scottish Executive is investing £63.5m over three years to
support the Panel's wide-ranging recommendations. These
include the introduction of new nutrient standards for
school meals and larger portions of nutritious food at no
extra cost to parents.
The Executive has also pledged to raise awareness of
entitlement to free school meals through an information
leaflet for all parents which should be available in the
autumn and has launched a scheme to provide free fruit to
pupils in P1 and P2.
This fast-track legislation seeks to amend section 53 of
the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, under which entitlement
to free school meals currently extends to pupils whose
parents (or pupils themselves) receive Income Support,
Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance or support under Part
VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
The amendment will ensure that, in prescribed
circumstances, claimants making the switch from income
support or income-based job seekers allowance to child tax
credits will not lose entitlement to free school meals.
Ministers will have the authority, through subordinate
legislation, to prescribe the benefits, allowances and tax
which convey entitlement to free school meals. This
approach will give the necessary flexibility to keep pace
with changes to the tax and benefits system.
The Tax Credits Act 2002 creates, among other things, a
new tax credit (child tax credit - CTC) which will replace
the child-related elements of income support and
income-related jobseeker's allowance. Parents could claim
CTC with effect from 6 April 2003. Tax year 2003-2004 is a
transitional year. From tax year 2004-05, the child-related
element of the two benefits will be removed and parents
will be obliged to claim CTC if they wish to continue to
receive income-based financial support for their children.
Income support and income based jobseeker's allowance will
remain as social security benefits but will be
adult-related only. It is estimated that entitlement to
free school meals for around 6500 children will be affected
by the change.
An estimated 7000 additional children will be entitled
to free school meals under the new tax credit system. The
cost of this in the current financial year will depend on
whether their families decide to claim tax credit in
2003-04 and therefore become entitled to free school meals
for their children. On the basis that all who have a new
entitlement decide to take this up, the cost to the
Executive would be in the order of £3m.
Further information on the new child tax credit system,
is available via
www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk.