Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education whether any recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of providing free school meals to all school children.
Minister of Education: Free school meals (FSM) continue to provide vital help to many low-income families. For some children, access to a nutritious school lunch may be their main meal of the day. In addition to providing financial assistance to families in need, FSM play an important role in supporting a child’s health, wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Universal FSM provision would widen access to these benefits and potentially help to reduce any perception of stigma associated with FSM. However, there would be very significant additional annual resource requirements to provide universal FSM as well as additional capital funding needed to expand the kitchen and dining hall capacity in schools.
My Department concluded a review of the eligibility criteria for FSM and uniform grants (UG) in July 2025. Taking into account the Department’s very challenging current and anticipated future budget position I decided that the net household earnings threshold (income threshold) for entitlement to both FSM and UG, should increase to £15,390 in 2025/26. I also decided that the income threshold will be uprated by the equivalent figure for Consumer Price Inflation in each future year – this has resulted in a raised income threshold level of £15,900 for the 2026/27 academic year. This will ensure that families in need will continue to be able to access FSM in future years despite rises in prices.
ENDS
Your MLA 