4. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language regarding the funding of universal free school meals during the current financial year? OQ58274

As a result of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, we anticipate feeding nearly an additional 60,000 primary age pupils in our first year of roll-out. We will implement the scheme as quickly as possible to ensure that every primary school pupil receives a free school meal by 2024.

Diolch for that. It's actually revolutionary, isn't it, that universal free school meals will start being rolled out from September in Wales. I'm so proud that this is happening as a result of the co-operation agreement involving Plaid Cymru. I wanted to ask you, Minister, about support being given to local authorities to ensure that schools are able to cope with this change. I'm so thankful to local authorities across Wales for moving so quickly to ensure that the youngest infants will start receiving these meals from September, but there will be logistical challenges: some schools will need to get new kitchens, new staff, maybe find new suppliers. So, could you outline, please, how the Welsh Government is supporting local authorities to make sure that schools can overcome these barriers and that the youngest children can start to receive universal free school meals from September in schools across Wales?

I'm very grateful for the question and absolutely share the enthusiasm for this policy. I don't think it could have been a policy that could have come at a better time, really, because I know that when discussions started about this particular policy, we weren't in a place where we understood the level of the cost-of-living crisis that was before us, so it's absolutely the right policy, I think, for the right time.

We're keen to support local government in a number of ways in terms of delivering on this policy. Obviously, financial support is going to be critical in terms of delivery. We have committed £200 million in revenue across the lifetime of the agreement, and we have already made available an initial £25 million in capital funding, so that local authorities are supported to make those early investments in the equipment and the infrastructure necessary to deliver. There are discussions continuing with partners to understand what further support might be needed in terms of investment in the school estate, so I think that financial support is really important.

I think the support of frequent discussion with local government as they drive forward and deliver this policy will also be important to understand the implications for them and their experience of delivery, and we can learn from that as we move forward. And then I think that clear support for local government in terms of being flexible as well, as they start to deliver this, will be important, because, as we know, all schools aren't going to be physically in the position to provide the kind of hot meal that we envisage, but are there things that we can be doing to support the development of the policy while we get to that point?

Minister, as you pointed out, we know you've invested or will be investing £200 million and £25 million capital to address kitchens and facilities upgrades, and I know there is still some anxiety that that may not be enough, but I take it that those issues will be addressed with local authorities. However, with the rising inflation rates and the Russian invasion of Ukraine having a substantial impact on the cost of food, there are concerns that the funding announced simply won't be enough to ensure that schools can provide high-quality nutritious meals to all. Clearly, we are likely to see increasing costs as things move forward. As such, the Government's policy is at risk of not matching the outcomes that it hopes to achieve. Minister, what detailed analysis of costs associated with the universal primary free school meals commitment has the Government carried out, and what assurances can you give to local authorities, both from a capital and a revenue perspective, especially should food prices escalate as is likely? And will you publish this analysis so that we can see more clearly how these funding decisions have been made, and to what extent they cover the costs that will be borne by local authorities and schools? Thank you.

I think that this is another one of those areas of pressure on local government that your colleague Sam Rowlands was discussing earlier on in the session today, in the sense that their budget, like ours, is worth less than originally envisaged. The prices of food have increased by 8.7 per cent in the year to May 2022 and obviously there is still a lot of global uncertainty, and we can't be sure that this won't increase further still, so I do think that this is one of the many pressures on local government. That said, I think that local government is in the best possible position it could be, thanks to the good settlement that it did have in our three-year spending review, but obviously we will work closely and keep an eye on this with local government. That said, I think this does speak to that need for the UK Government to provide that general uplift to budgets to reflect the kind of pressure that Peter Fox is talking about in terms of the day-to-day real-life impact of inflation on the delivery of policies, and particularly those that support the most vulnerable in society.

Minister, improving the health and well-being and the education of our children and young people in Wales is so important—even more so now, following the pandemic. Free school meals will play a vital role in this, and I want to thank the Minister and the education Minister for all their hard work since the review, ensuring that this will become the new normal across schools in Wales. We know that free school meals help combat pupil absence, so more and more of our young people don't miss out on their education. We also know that family liaison officers are key to reducing pupil absence, but, unfortunately, these officers aren't a luxury that all schools in Wales can afford. Will the Minister explore the possibility of funding family liaison officers directly through local authorities to ensure more schools in Wales are able to benefit from their invaluable work?

I absolutely agree that those family engagement officers do excellent work in terms of being that bridge between the school and the family, and, as such, in the 2022-23 budget, we'll be investing £3.84 million in increasing the number of those family engagement officers that are employed by schools. The funding has been provided to local authorities, and that, then, allows them to target those schools that they think require that additional capacity, using their local knowledge. And, in addition, as part of our policy development, we'll also be advising schools on the effective practice of family engagement officers, and, of course, the wider professional learning, which has to be undertaken to best use those individuals. We're also providing £660,000 for a trial of community-focused school manager positions in Wales, and those roles will help develop better engagement between schools and the communities, recognising that children's lives don't just finish when the school bell rings, but there's a lot that needs to be done outside of those hours to support families as well. But we recognise really the importance of those family engagement officers.