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<p>As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer
have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected
by COVID-19.</p><p>Around 1.3 million children are eligible for and claiming benefits-related
free school meals. During this period, we are asking schools to support these children
by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever
possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging
food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is
possible.</p><p>However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not
a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national
voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for
Education.</p><p>We are monitoring the use of the scheme on a daily basis. As of 28
April, our supplier Edenred reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for
the scheme, and as of 4 May, Edenred reported that more than £47 million worth of
voucher codes had been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families
through the scheme. We do not hold the specific data requested for the scheme at a
local or regional level.</p><p>Once an eCode has been ordered, it will be sent within
four days. Edenred is keeping schools informed of the status of orders once they have
been placed. Schools can choose to ‘bulk order’ eCodes for regular distribution (e.g.
on a weekly basis), in which case the eCode will be sent on or before the date specified.
The eCodes must then be redeemed to create an eGift card, which will be received within
24 hours. We continue to work closely with our supplier and with schools to increase
the speed at which orders can be processed.</p><p>On 4 May, Edenred reported that
on the previous day, the average wait time for families and schools accessing the
website to redeem their voucher codes was under 30 minutes. Edenred are aiming to
respond to all email queries within 2 working days. We are very grateful to families
and schools for their understanding and patience while Edenred upgrade this service
to meet increased demand.</p><p>These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue
to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p><p>
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