Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:38 pm on 20 September 2022.
Thank you for your statement, Minister. I have three simple questions I'd like answers to. Minister, I understand and appreciate that new extra moneys have been made available to upgrade and expand kitchens, but the timing of the moneys given was of some concern to me. I was just wondering whether all the upgrades in our schools have been able to be made in time for the new term that has already begun, ensuring that schools do have the ability to deliver the increased number of those free school meals to all those who qualify. Is that the case, Minister?
And Minister, free school meals have historically been used as an easy marker to determine and identify those most in need. What is that replacement going to look like? How are you going to identify those children going forward? How will you ensure that no child is now going to slip through the cracks because of that change in identification?
Finally, Minister, how are you going to look to monitor the roll-out? I welcome this expansion, and I welcome that you recognise that this expansion of free school meals presents us with an opportunity to improve our school meals and to help local communities across Wales by ensuring that the produce is sourced locally where possible, and is as healthy as possible. In your statement, you say 'nutritious' meals twice, and you say that you want to change eating habits, all of which are very welcome, and I completely concur with you. But how exactly are you guaranteeing that, Minister? What work has already been done? And couldn't this have been done a lot sooner, because we've known about the roll-out of free school meals for some time now? Thank you.