What Crisis? (Part Two)

[New Judge]

Earlier in the year I queried why a local authority took it upon itself to feed the children in its area free of charge:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1205273.html

But now it seems that none other than the Deputy Prime Minister has jumped on the bandwagon. “All pupils at infant schools in England are to get free school lunches from next September, Lib Dem leader and Deputy PM Nick Clegg has announced.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24132416

“The change - for children in reception, year one and year two - will save parents about £400 a year per child.” (so presumably will cost the taxpayer at least that amount).

It’s strange that government policy is announced at the party conference of the mob that hold only 9% of the Parliamentary seats, but no matter. It is estimated that this will cost around £600m (though my sums make it a bit more than that). Mr Clegg clearly has an expansion of this scheme in mind (“We will start with infant school pupils…”).

Just recently a similar sum was quoted as being the cost of pensioners’ bus passes and was said by some politicians to be “unsustainable”. So why is this scheme (which will undoubtedly expand considerably) affordable, whilst pensioners’ bus passes are not?

[ichkeria]

Credit where it's due. Well done Mr Clegg.

[EDDIE51]

Possibly not quite on the same subject but I am perturbed every morning to see the line of school kids in the corner shop buying chocolate and cans of energy drink in stead of breakfast.

[mushroom25]

I'm just wondering how long after the implementation of the scheme, parents will begin to tell the authorities that their children won't eat school dinners and can they have the cash in lieu?

[ichkeria]

"I'm just wondering how long after the implementation of the scheme, parents will begin to tell the authorities that their children won't eat school dinners and can they have the cash in lieu? "

Don't think there'd be much chance of that being agreed do you?

[factor-fiction]

EDDIE51
>Possibly not quite on the same subject but I am perturbed every morning to see the line of school kids in the corner shop buying chocolate and cans of energy drink in stead of breakfast.

I agree that this is an issue, eddie, but I am sure that will still continue even if free lunches were given to all pupils.

I'm surprised at the move. Apparently there was some research or trial that it showed improved 'performance' of pupils. I'll take the research with a pinch of salt but am have no strong feelings on the issue at the moment.

As regards the link to pensioners' bus passes I think the proposal is just to remove it from better off pensioners, although I may be wrong. I can see we could means test the 'free lunch' but i think the point is that just because parents who are quite well off doesn't mean their children eat well at school.

[sherrardk]

I don't want my children in the infants to have school lunches. I want them to eat their main meal, in the evening, with the rest of the family and to have the packed lunch that I provide. At least I know they will eat that.

[bazwillrun]

a desperate Clegg

and how long until theyve got Jamie "Pukka" Oliver onboard to sort out the meals that the kids wont eat ?

[Old_Geezer]

I'm sure the DPM can not possibly be suggesting parents should be relieved on their responsibilities at the cost of the taxpayer. Presumably he's saying he's feeling charitable and will fund the freebies himself.

(Pensioners' bus passes must cost very little given the running busses, empty or full, is a sunk cost anyway.)

[Huderon]

Comment on one of the Radio 4 news programmes today put it like this (I paraphrase) :

This gives Mr Clegg and co something to crow about, the quid pro quo possibly being a Tory announcement of a married tax allowance to be announced at their conference.

Where the funding will come from will not be known until the Chancellor's Autumn statement, but it is known that some government departments did not spend their full budget last year, so perhaps there is some extra cash there.

[mikey4444]

In my experience. a good hot lunch will be the only proper meal that some kids get every day, so I am all for it. Too many children have stupid parents who think they can live on crisps and pop. In Wales we have had free breakfasts for primary school kids for years.

Just the sort of things that our Government, of whatever political hue should be doing with our tax money.

[Cloverjo]

It's a nice gesture by Clegg, but will it really help with nutrition of children? Not all schools have kitchens, so many children will be given a packed lunch. An awfully expensive idea. It might help a few low-paid families, but there must be a better way to help them.

[jake-the-peg]

And its a direct quid pro quo for Tory spending plans in reducing taxes on married couples

You can find the money for that? then you can find the money for this!

Simples

[B00]

Whilst its a colossal amount of money, It's one where, for a change, I don't mind the money being spent on.

We still have children who are not being fed correctly, due to lack of money, or neglect by their parents and if this dinner is the one hot meal they're going to get that day, I'm certainly not going to begrudge them.

As it would be a logistic nightmare to predetermine which children really do deserve a free meal or not, it stands to reason (In my mind) that they issue a blanket "all for one" scenario.

[mikey4444]

Cloverjo. I have a sister-in-law who is a dinner lady at a primary school in West Wales. Since the free breakfasts were introduced, there has been a marked improvement in pupil behaviour. So it would appear to have a benefit for the whole school. Also, the take up isn't just little poor kids...it is popular amongst all classes of families.

[rockyracoon]

As long as it's a choice, I'd prefer my kids to have packed lunch and a good meal at dinner time when they come in, that's what I've always done. My kids would have hated school dinners and probably wouldn't have eaten it.

[mikey4444]

Why would your children have hated school dinners Rocky ? Are they different to what you feed your kids at home ?

I remember school dinners in the 50's and 60's. Lots of greyish mashed potato, gristly meat pies and the lumpiest custard that you have ever seen. We never had chips. We had boiled cod on a Friday, although as I went to a Catholic School, I'm not sure if this was universally available. But surely they must have improved since then ?

[ludwig]

It looks like Turkey Twizzlers are back on the menu.

[Baldric]

Not a popular move, what makes Cleggy think that I as a Taxpayer am happy to pay for other peoples kids lunches, I paid out for my kid years back and thought I'd finished with all that.

If you can't afford them, don't have them!