School Holidays (Meals and Activities) Bill (HC Bill 101)

A

BILL

TO

Require local authorities to facilitate the delivery of programmes that provide
free meals and activities for children during school holidays; and for
connected purposes.

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Power to pilot free meals and activities during school holidays

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument
establish a pilot programme for the facilitation and coordination by local
authorities in England of free meals and activities during school holidays to
5children in areas of high deprivation.

(2) In this section “areas of high deprivation” means areas in England identified as
the most deprived in the English Indices of Deprivation.

(3) Regulations under this section may in particular—

(a) specify minimum standards for meals and activities during school
10holidays, and

(b) specify criteria that organisations involved in the delivery of meals and
activities during school holidays must meet.

(4) Before making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must
consult such persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(5) 15The Secretary of State may make regulations under this section relating to a
local authority only on an application by that authority.

(6) Regulations under this section may be made in relation to one or more local
authorities in England.

(7) Regulations under this section must specify a period at the end of which they
20cease to apply.

(8) The period must not be longer than twelve months beginning with the day on
which the regulations come into force.

School Holidays (Meals and Activities) BillPage 2

(9) The Secretary of State may by regulations make transitional provision in
connection with the lapsing of regulations under this section.

2 Review of pilot

(1) The Secretary of State must conduct a review of any pilot programmes
5established by virtue of section 1.

(2) The Secretary of State shall lay a copy of the report of the review under this
section before each House of Parliament within twelve months of the day on
which the first regulations made under section 1 cease to apply.

3 Duty of local authorities: free meals and activities during school holidays

(1) 10A local authority must facilitate and coordinate the provision of programmes,
during school holidays, that provide meals and activities for children in their
area.

(2) In exercising its duty under subsection (1), a local authority shall, in respect of
the days of those activities, secure the provision of a free meal to a child if a
15request for the provision of such meals has been made by or on behalf of that
child to the authority.

4 Meals during school holidays: use of surplus stock from supermarkets and
food manufacturers

(1) Where a local authority secures the provision of a meal during school holidays
20in accordance with section 3, the authority may provide for the meal to be
sourced from surplus food stock from supermarkets and food manufacturers,
subject to the conditions in subsections (2) and (3).

(2) The condition in this subsection is that the surplus food stock provided to the
local authority meets requirements established by regulations under section
25114A(4) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (requirements for
food and drink provided on school premises etc).

(3) The condition in this subsection is that the surplus food stock provided to the
local authority is handled and prepared in accordance with guidance produced
by the Food Standards Agency regarding the safe handling and preparation of
30such food.

5 Requirements for meals and activities during school holidays

(1) The relevant national authority may by regulations made by statutory
instrument prescribe requirements for meals and activities during school
holidays provided for in accordance with section 3.

(2) 35Regulations under this section may in particular—

(a) specify minimum standards for meals and activities during school
holidays,

(b) specify criteria that organisations involved in the delivery of meals and
activities during school holidays must meet, and

(c) 40establish a portal for information, guidance and training resources on
the delivery of meals and activities during school holidays to
prescribed requirements.

School Holidays (Meals and Activities) BillPage 3

(3) Before making regulations under this section, the relevant national authority
must consult such persons as the relevant national authority considers
appropriate.

6 Commencement of duty of local authorities under section 3

(1) 5The relevant national authority may by regulations made by statutory
instrument bring into force the duty in section 3 in respect of all local
authorities to establish programmes, during school holidays, that provides
meals and activities for children in their area.

(2) Regulations under this section may only be made once the report of the
10Secretary of State under section 2(2) has been laid before each House of
Parliament.

7 Definitions

(NONE) In this Act—

  • school holidays”, in relation to a school, means days on which at that
    15school there is no school session, other than Saturdays, Sundays and
    bank holidays;

  • relevant national authority” means—

    (a)

    in relation to England, the Secretary of State, and

    (b)

    in relation to Wales, the Welsh Ministers.

8 20Regulations

(1) A statutory instrument containing regulations made by the Secretary of State
under sections 1 and 5 may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has
been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(2) A statutory instrument containing regulations made by the Secretary of State
25under section 6 is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either
House of Parliament.

(3) A statutory instrument containing regulations made by the Welsh Ministers
under section 5 may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid
before and approved by a resolution of the National Assembly of Wales.

(4) 30A statutory instrument containing regulations made by the Welsh Ministers
under section 6 is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the
National Assembly of Wales.

9 Financial provisions

(NONE) There is to be paid out of money provided by Parliament—

(a) 35any expenditure incurred under or by virtue of this Act by the Secretary of
State, and

(b) any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable under any other Act
out of money so provided.

10 Extent, commencement and short title

(1) 40This Act extends to England and Wales.

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(2) The provisions of this Act, with the exception of section 3, come into force on
the day on which this Act is passed.

(3) Section 3 comes into force in accordance with the provisions of section 6.

(4) This Act may be cited as the School Holidays (Meals and Activities) Act 2018.