Thank you for contacting me about Marcus Rashford's campaign on child food poverty.
I applaud the work Mr Rashford has done to highlight the issue of food poverty, and I welcome that his efforts have been recognised with an MBE.
To help families through the pandemic, a vast package of support was brought in. The national free school meal (FSM) voucher scheme last year and this year has meant that eligible children continued to receive nutritious food during periods of school closure, and during the holidays. As students have returned to schools and colleges, those who are eligible will now receive free school meals in their educational settings. In cases where eligible children cannot attend school as they are self-isolating, schools should continue to provide free school meals support.
This is on top of support to protect 11.2 million jobs through unprecedented income support schemes and boosting welfare support by billions, including through an increase to Universal Credit of £20 a week. I am pleased that this increase to the standard allowance was extended, alongside both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, until September 2021. More than £230 million has also been given to councils to assist those struggling to afford food and essentials.
I am also encouraged that the Holiday Activities and Food Programme has been extended until Christmas 2021, with up to £220 million being made available to local authorities. This will mean all children eligible for FSM will have the option to join a holiday-time programme that provides healthy food and enriching activities.