Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:41 pm on 24 February 2021.
The reality is that Wales provides fewer cooked free school meals to its children at the moment than any other nation within the UK. In Scotland and England, every child of school age, in the first three years of their education, is in receipt of free school meals, whatever the family income. In Northern Ireland, the earnings threshold for those in receipt of universal credit is set far higher, helping to support more working families. Providing a balanced, nutritious meal, locally sourced, would improve child health and educational attainment. A sufficient free school meal will enhance concentration throughout the day and will give children an opportunity to taste new foods. Expanding eligibility, and, in future, moving forward to introducing a universal approach, would reduce inequality related to education, health and other areas. It would be a means of supporting the foundational or circular economy that this Government is so determined to promote. It would create jobs locally, support farmers to take foods from farm to fork, supporting local businesses, creating local food chains, and contributing to reducing emissions. We would be doing all of this and providing nutritious food for Welsh children. I urge you to support our motion today.