Are free school meals going to be included in benefits cap?

confusedmummy

Does anyone know if free school meals will be included in the overall benefits cap? Seems to be conflicting answers online. Thanks.

Vejovis

i haven't heard anything either way, but they should be. what's the point in having a cap if things sneak in under it.

paddedjohn

Ditto the above, even without the benefits cap free school dinners should be scrapped. There is no need for any parent to send their child to school without either a packed lunch or their own dinner money from their child benefits.

BigAunty

I think I am going to muddy the debate. I read that things like free school meals and uniforms, etc, are outside of the cap because I remember reading posts about someone complaining about this. Hopefully someone can unearth actual information from somewhere like the DWP.

Like others, I am against the provision of extra things on top of income related benefits as it simply bumps them up (increasing their value and thus dependency) and adds to huge expense from having to administer them.

I think the extras should be either taken out or rolled up into existing benefits.

The working poor if they can't afford packed lunches for their school kids will give them a packed lunch. A lone parent with 2 kids will typically get £200 a week in their hand from benefits after their rent and council tax is taken care of, plus any child maintenance if they get it.

As far as I'm concerned, they can spend £5 to £10 on packed lunches each week out of it. As a low income working family, that's what we had because the household income wouldn't stretch to school meals for the 3 of us.

DorsetGirl_2

While the government continue to tally free school meals with additional pupil premiums I hope they wont be included, because as soon as people stop claiming them, the funding for schools will go down.

Dognobs

Should be in the cap.

skintandscared_2

Personally, I don't think any benefits should be cut that directly affect young children. For some, it's the only decent meal they get.

But this thread is pointless as it will only consist of people's own opinions - nothing has been agreed and the legislation hasn't even been formed yet so nobody knows anything (and I doubt the government will be checking MSE for tips on what to do either )

BigAunty

"One-off benefits (for example Social Fund Loans) and non-cash benefits (for example Free School Meals) will not be included in the assessment of benefit income. "

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-benefit-cap-wr2011.pdf

Shame, as it would be another way of reducing the complexity of the benefit system.

The only children who don't eat proper meals are ones with neglectful parents who can't or won't feed them properly for whatever myriad reasons, anything from cultural (don't know or care about the basics of nutrition), lazy, suffering from mental health or addiction problems. It's basically child abuse, in my opinion, if a child isn't fed properly three times a day.

welshmoneylover

confusedmummy wrote: »

Does anyone know if free school meals will be included in the overall benefits cap? Seems to be conflicting answers online. Thanks.

I certainly hope so!

Sixer

Was going to post the official info Big Aunty did, but since she has, I'll have my twopennorth instead!

I'd take an alternate view to others on this thread. I'd be inclined to up the quality of school dinners and provide them free to every child. I'd also have free breakfast and after school clubs available to every child. And I would reduce CTC accordingly.

(Yes, yes, I know, it would be expensive and we're in a debt crisis. But we're talking how we think things *should* be organised in an ideal world, right? I'm all for looking after the children and not allowing wee ones to be punished for the sins of their parents. But we've seen high child-related payments increase dependency and reduce incentives to work. Direct and free children's services like nutritious school dinners and wraparound childcare decrease dependency and increase incentives to work. So that's how I'd organise things. It seems to work in France).

Vejovis

Sixer wrote: »

Was going to post the official info Big Aunty did, but since she has, I'll have my twopennorth instead!

I'd take an alternate view to others on this thread. I'd be inclined to up the quality of school dinners and provide them free to every child. I'd also have free breakfast and after school clubs available to every child. And I would reduce CTC accordingly.

(Yes, yes, I know, it would be expensive and we're in a debt crisis. But we're talking how we think things *should* be organised in an ideal world, right? I'm all for looking after the children and not allowing wee ones to be punished for the sins of their parents. But we've seen high child-related payments increase dependency and reduce incentives to work. Direct and free children's services like nutritious school dinners and wraparound childcare decrease dependency and increase incentives to work. So that's how I'd organise things. It seems to work in France).

so due to a few fe ckless parents, my children should be forced to eat substandard meals at school? no thanks. the amount it'd cost to make school meals a high standard would be astronomical.