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Mr. Newton
asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish a table showing the number of children in Great Britain who received free school meals in each year from 1973–74 ; and if she will include estimates for 1978–79.
Miss Margaret Jackson
The figures for England and Wales are as follows:
| Year | Numbers (000's) |
| 1973–74 | 795 |
| 1974–75 | 750 |
| 1975–76 | 784 |
| 1976–77 | 839 |
| 1977–78 | 997 |
| 1978–79 | 1,155 (estimate) |
Note:Apart from 1978–79 the numbers for each year are obtained from the autumn
school meals census and relate to children taking meals on a day in the autumn term.
Comparable figures for Scotland are not collected by my Department.