Written questions

Universal Credit: Free School Meals and Healthy Start Scheme

Commons · Question 47208 · Tabled 23 Apr 2025 · Department for Work and Pensions · Official record

Answered 29 Apr 2025

Question

Asked by Mary Glindon

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Universal Credit system to automatically register eligible households for (a) free school meals and (b) the NHS Healthy Start sche

Answer

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms, 29 Apr 2025

No such assessment has been made. The Universal Credit system permits Department of Health and Social Care to check a citizen’s entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers, and Department for Education to check eligibility for Free School Meals.