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1717463

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Food
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	25738
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>All catering contracts for department buildings are procured by the Government Property Agency (GPA).</p><p> </p><p>Contractually, all suppliers appointed by GPA are required to comply with the Government Buying Standards, owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).</p><p> </p><p>The relevant part of the standards is local and environmentally sustainable sourcing. Wherever possible, food sourcing should prioritise locally produced food and food produced to higher environmental production standards. Contracting authorities and/or tier 1 suppliers should aim for at least 50% of food spend to be on locally produced food or food certified to higher environmental production standards. Progress towards this target must be reported annually.</p><p> </p><p>This contractual provision will be monitored as part of the governance and report requirements of GPA's new contracts.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 21/05/2024 12:11:18 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1717487

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	School Meals: Processed Food
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the proportion of ultra-processed foods in school meals.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	25843
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>There is no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. The term defines foods by how much processing they have been through rather than their nutritional composition.</p><p>The standards for school food are set out in The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.</p><p>The ‘School Food Standards’ define the foods and drinks that must be provided, those which are restricted and those which must never be provided. The standards already restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, including crisps, confectionery and high-sugar drinks, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They also ensure that the right foods are available for children every day. For example, one or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits every week.</p><p>Compliance with the standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.</p><p>The department believes that the standards provide a robust yet flexible framework for school food provision. The government continues to keep the standards under review.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/05/2024 15:26:41 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1717625

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers have contracts with her Department to provide education on alcohol in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) colleges and (d) universities; what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of those providers that receive funding (i) directly and (ii) indirectly from the alcohol industry; and whether this information is required to be disclosed on tender applications.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	25881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>​​The department does not have any contracts with providers to provide education on alcohol in schools, colleges or universities, nor does the department hold information on providers of alcohol education in schools and higher education (HE) institutions.</p><p> </p><p>The department does not direct schools on which resources, external speakers or organisations to use, and does not endorse or promote resources to schools other than those produced by other government departments.</p><p> </p><p>It is for further education colleges to determine what material they use to support the health and wellbeing of students.</p><p> </p><p>HE providers in England are autonomous and independent and they make decisions on the courses that they will run. In making these decisions, providers will adapt their offers to the interest of students and demand from employers. The department cannot therefore comment on their choices.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25882 question first answered 21/05/2024 11:52:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1717626

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of providers of alcohol education in (a) schools and (b) higher education institutions in the last five years that received funding (i) directly and (ii) indirectly from the alcohol industry; and what the value was of contracts issued to providers that received such funding from the alcohol industry.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	25882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>​​The department does not have any contracts with providers to provide education on alcohol in schools, colleges or universities, nor does the department hold information on providers of alcohol education in schools and higher education (HE) institutions.</p><p> </p><p>The department does not direct schools on which resources, external speakers or organisations to use, and does not endorse or promote resources to schools other than those produced by other government departments.</p><p> </p><p>It is for further education colleges to determine what material they use to support the health and wellbeing of students.</p><p> </p><p>HE providers in England are autonomous and independent and they make decisions on the courses that they will run. In making these decisions, providers will adapt their offers to the interest of students and demand from employers. The department cannot therefore comment on their choices.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds grouped question UIN 25881 question first answered 21/05/2024 11:52:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1717627

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Health Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to educate young people on the potential health impacts of (a) vaping and (b) nicotine pouches.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	25883
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>The department has included a specific reference to the dangers of e-cigarettes in the amended relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which was published for consultation on 16 May 2024. On 1 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced an intervention which will take steps to prevent children obtaining e-cigarettes illegally.</p><p>The current RSHE statutory guidance, which sets out the topics the subjects should cover, already states that in primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks. This includes smoking, alcohol use and drug taking, as well as supplements drug education which is part of the National Curriculum for Key Stages 2 and 3 science.</p><p>To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department published a suite of teacher training modules, including on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes.</p><p><br></p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 21/05/2024 12:04:07 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1717755

registered interest
date	13/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Free School Meals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will lower the threshold for free school meals qualification.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	26015
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2024 answer text <p>The department has extended free school meal (FSM) support several times and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century. As a result, the greatest ever proportion of children are now receiving free lunches. Over one third of children are now eligible for FSM, compared to one in six in 2010.</p><p>However, a threshold must be set somewhere. The department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables children in low-income households to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the correct decision.</p><p>The department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/05/2024 15:24:45 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome