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Universal Credit: Free School Meals and Healthy Start Scheme

Asked by Mary GlindonLabourDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 29 April 2025UIN 47208

The question

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

Answered by Sir Stephen Timms

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.

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