campaign The 1944 Education Act made it an entitlement
for pupils to receive a free school meal. This entitlement was
scaled back in 1949 when a flat charge of 2.5 pence was introduced.
Over the next thirty years this flat fee was gradually increased,
until in 1980, legislation was introduced to remove the requirement
for Local Education Authorities to provide a meal for every pupil.
Since that date, authorities have been obliged only to provide
a meal to those pupils who are eligible for a free meal.
In 1999 the Child Poverty Action Group
(CPAG) launched a free school meals campaign with three aims:
1. To extend entitlement to free school meals.
2. To improve take-up of free school meals.
3. To introduce nutritional standards for school meals.
In 2000 CPAG established a Scottish school meals advisory group
and through it CPAG secured the introduction of a School Meals
(Scotland) Bill. The School Meals Bill was sponsored by Tommy
Sheridan MSP, Alex Neil MSP and John McAllion MSP. The bill set
statutory nutritional standards for school meals and would have
extended entitlement to free healthy school meals to all school-children
in Scotland.
The School Meals Bill was debated in June 2002. Despite receiving
the support of 37 MSPs, drawn from five of the six political parties
represented in the Parliament, it was defeated.
In 2003 Frances Curran resubmitted the bill. Despite an extremly
successful consultation process that received respondents from
over 500 organisations and individuals with 96% in favour of free
school meals. The Bill was not timetabled for hearing before the
Scottish Elections in May 2007 and so fell.
The Scottish Free School Meals Campaign continues to campaign
for universal free School meals.
The campaign is currenty co-ordinated
by CPAG Scotland, The Poverty Alliance and Choices - One Parent
Families West of Scotland.
