Question reference: S6W-00512
- Date lodged: 7 June 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to North Ayrshire Council to provide targeted free school meal support during school holidays in the financial year 2021-22.
Answer
The Scottish Government is providing local authorities across Scotland with £21.75 million to provide targeted free school meal support during the school holidays throughout the forthcoming school year. We wrote to local authorities on 14 May to inform them of their allocations and I can confirm that North Ayrshire Council will receive £704,000 in additional funding to support the delivery of free school meal approaches in all school holidays.
This support will be available to all families who are in receipt of any of the qualifying benefits which would enable them to receive free school meals, regardless of whether their children are in primary or secondary school and this support will begin at the start of the forthcoming summer holidays.
Local authorities will be given the flexibility to support eligible families through any method which they feel will best meet local needs and circumstances within their respective areas.