Question follow-through · 18419

Free School Meals: Eligibility

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she take steps to delegate powers to local authorities to (a) identify and (b) automatically register all children eligible for free school meals.

answeredDepartment for Education

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Department for Education
Tabled
6 Dec 2024
Target answer date
11 Dec 2024
Answer
11 Dec 2024 · 5 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Education and skills

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Recorded timeline

  1. 6 Dec 2024

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she take steps to delegate powers to local authorities to (a) identify and (b) automatically register all children eligible for free school meals.

  2. 11 Dec 2024

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 11 Dec 2024

    Answer published

    There are currently around 2.1 million pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals (FSM). The department recognises the vital role played by FSM and encourages all eligible families to take up their entitlement. To make this as easy as possible the...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 27 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Students: Loans

9 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the student loan finance repayment system to reduce monthly repayments for students in England.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Secondary Education: Finance

16 Jan 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of differences in levels of funding between 14-16-year-old students who undertake their Key Stage 4 education at a (a) main

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Secondary Education

16 Jan 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of 14-16 year old provision in further education colleges.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Childcare and Pre-school Education

24 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) early education and (b) childcare providers.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Teachers: Workplace Pensions

27 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teacher pension payments are not suspended as a result of (a) administrative issues and (b) delays related to proof of life documentation.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Special Educational Needs: Transport

31 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support SEND transport providers.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Soil: Curriculum

22 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to incorporate soil health education into the National Curriculum.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

School Meals: Standards

9 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered including water-only policies in updated school food standards.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Boarding Schools: Guardianship

9 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the provision of (a) clear and (b) consistent statutory guidance on educational guardianship.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Education: Mathmatics

2 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) dyscalculic learners and(b) learners with maths learning difficulties.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Adoption and Social Services

15 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support (a) foster carers, (b) kinship carers and (c) adoptive parents.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Students: Loans

21 Jul 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 18684 on Students: Loans, what progress she has made in developing a longer-term plan for higher education reform.