Meetings
NDM7598 Plaid Cymru debate - Free school meals eligibility
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Meeting: 24/02/2021 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 8)
Plaid Cymru debate - Free school meals eligibility
NDM7598
Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To
propose that the Senedd:
Calls
on the Welsh Government to ensure that the unallocated fiscal resource in the
draft 2021-22 budget is used in the final budget for 2021-22 to expand free
school meal eligibility criteria to include all children in families in receipt
of universal credit or equivalent benefit and any child in a family with no
recourse to public funds.
Amendment
1 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)
Delete
all and replace with:
1.
Believes that it is unacceptable in a modern society that children still go
hungry and that we will continue to step-up all our efforts in the provision of
free school meals to stamp out the scourge of poverty and hunger.
2.
Welcomes that the Welsh Government:
a)
provided over £50 million of additional funding to ensure the continued
provision of free school meals during the pandemic and was the first government
in the UK to provide provision during school holidays;
b)
provided additional funding to ensure that children who are self-isolating or
shielding continue to receive free school meal provision when they are not able
to attend school;
c)
provides funding of £19.50 per week to free school meal-eligible families,
which is the most generous provision in the UK;
d)
ensured that Wales remains the only country in the UK to have a universal free
breakfasts in primary schools scheme;
e)
has been recognised by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) for being
successful in ensuring families eligible for free school meals during the
pandemic had “access to timely and appropriate support”;
f)
is committed to a rapid review of all available resource and policy options
including the income threshold for receiving free school meals based on the
Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data.
Minutes:
The item started at 16.36
Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred
until Voting Time.
A vote was taken on the motion
without amendment:
NDM7598 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure
that the unallocated fiscal resource in the draft 2021-22 budget is used in the
final budget for 2021-22 to expand free school meal eligibility criteria to
include all children in families in receipt of universal credit or equivalent
benefit and any child in a family with no recourse to public funds.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
20 |
2 |
31 |
53 |
The motion without amendment was
not agreed.
The following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 - Rebecca Evans
(Gower)
Delete all and replace with:
1. Believes that it is unacceptable in a
modern society that children still go hungry and that we will continue to
step-up all our efforts in the provision of free school meals to stamp out the
scourge of poverty and hunger.
2. Welcomes that the Welsh Government:
a) provided over £50 million of additional
funding to ensure the continued provision of free school meals during the
pandemic and was the first government in the UK to provide provision during
school holidays;
b) provided additional funding to ensure
that children who are self-isolating or shielding continue to receive free
school meal provision when they are not able to attend school;
c) provides funding of £19.50 per week to
free school meal-eligible families, which is the most generous provision in the
UK;
d) ensured that Wales remains the only
country in the UK to have a universal free breakfasts in primary schools
scheme;
e) has been recognised by the Education
Policy Institute (EPI) for being successful in ensuring families eligible for
free school meals during the pandemic had “access to timely and appropriate
support”;
f) is committed to a rapid review of all
available resource and policy options including the income threshold for
receiving free school meals based on the Pupil Level Annual School Census
(PLASC) data.
A vote was taken on amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
31 |
3 |
19 |
53 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
A vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM7598 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Believes that it is
unacceptable in a modern society that children still go hungry and that we will
continue to step-up all our efforts in the provision of free school meals to
stamp out the scourge of poverty and hunger.
2. Welcomes that the Welsh
Government:
a) provided over £50 million of
additional funding to ensure the continued provision of free school meals
during the pandemic and was the first government in the UK to provide provision
during school holidays;
b) provided additional funding to
ensure that children who are self-isolating or shielding continue to receive
free school meal provision when they are not able to attend school;
c) provides funding of £19.50 per
week to free school meal-eligible families, which is the most generous
provision in the UK;
d) ensured that Wales remains the
only country in the UK to have a universal free breakfasts in primary schools
scheme;
e) has been recognised by the
Education Policy Institute (EPI) for being successful in ensuring families
eligible for free school meals during the pandemic had “access to timely and
appropriate support”;
f) is committed to a rapid review
of all available resource and policy options including the income threshold for
receiving free school meals based on the Pupil Level Annual School Census
(PLASC) data.
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
31 |
3 |
19 |
53 |
The motion as amended was agreed.