To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost to the public purse was of free school meals in (a) all schools and (b) school sixth forms in the last year for which figures are available. (303723)

The Department does not collect this information. It is for individual local authorities to decide how much funding to allocate to school meal provision. Where a school chooses to manage its own budget for school meals, it is also responsible for deciding how much to allocate.