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22 Jan 2008 : Column 1901W—continued

“by 2008, increase the take up of formal childcare by lower income working families by [50 per cent. provisional, to be confirmed in spring 2006].”

This equated to an increase in take up by some 86,000 families. Changes to the FRS survey in 2005-6 meant it was not possible to establish a satisfactory baseline and trajectory using that measure. In November 2006, the target was finalised using the then Department for Education and Skills (DFES) survey of parents’ use of childcare series 2005 to 2008 to set the baseline and measure progress. The finalised target being

“by 2008, to increase the number of children in lower income working families using formal childcare by 120,000.”

Free School Meals: Hampshire

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the take-up of free school meals in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Southampton and (c) Hampshire local education authorities was in each of the last five years; what the estimated number of children eligible was in each year; and what steps he is taking to increase the take-up. [179746]

22 Jan 2008 : Column 1902W

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is given in the following tables:

Take-up of free school meals in Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire local authorities 2003 to 2007 at January each year —table A: maintained nursery and primary schools
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals	Percentage taking free school meals	Number known to be eligible for free meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free meals
2003
Portsmouth	15,200	2,100	13.9	2,600	16.8
Southampton	17,200	3,000	17.7	3,700	21.7
Hampshire	101,000	7,100	7.0	8,700	8.6
2004
Portsmouth	14,800	2,200	14.9	2,800	18.6
Southampton	16,600	3,000	18.1	3,700	22.0
Hampshire	99,900	7,400	7.4	9,200	9.2
2005
Portsmouth	14,500	2,000	13.5	2,600	17.9
Southampton	16,400	2,700	16.4	3,600	22.2
Hampshire	98,500	6,900	7.0	8,800	8.9
2006
Portsmouth	14,200	1,800	12.5	2,300	16.2
Southampton	16,100	2,700	17.0	3,400	21.3
Hampshire	97,400	6,500	6.7	8,300	8.6
2007
Portsmouth	13,900	1,700	12.2	2,200	15.7
Southampton	16,100	2,500	15.8	3,400	20.9
Hampshire	96,300	6,000	6.3	8,200	8.6

22 Jan 2008 : Column 1903W

Table B: maintained secondary schools
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals	Percentage taking free school meals	Number known to be eligible for free meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free meals
2003
Portsmouth	10,200	1,000	10.0	1,500	14.9
Southampton	12,200	1,500	12.0	2,000	16.6
Hampshire	72,600	3,200	4.3	4,600	6.3
2004
Portsmouth	10,200	1,100	10.7	1,500	15.1
Southampton	12,300	1,600	12.7	2,100	17.1
Hampshire	72,600	3,500	4.8	4,900	6.7
2005
Portsmouth	9,900	1,000	10.2	1,500	15.3
Southampton	12,000	1,300	10.8	2,000	17.0
Hampshire	72,600	3,300	4.6	4,900	6.8
2006
Portsmouth	9,900	900	9.4	1,500	15.2
Southampton	11,500	1,300	11.6	2,000	17.0
Hampshire	72,700	3,500	4.9	4,800	6.6
2007
Portsmouth	9,800	800	8.4	1,400	14.7
Southampton	11,300	1,300	11.5	1,800	16.3
Hampshire	71,900	3,200	4.5	4,600	6.4
Source: School Census 2003-07

Both tables include middle schools as deemed and dually registered and boarding pupils. Totals are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures for 2007, and accompanying notes, were published as part of the Statistical First Release: Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007, which can be found at:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml

Increasing take-up of school lunches is a priority for this Department and for the School Food Trust (SFT). The SFT has a target to increase take-up of school lunches, from a 2005-06 baseline, by 4 percentage points by March 2008 and by 10 percentage points by autumn 2009. In addition, school lunch take-up is now an indicator in both the Local Government National Indicator Set, from which local authorities and their partners will agree their own targets in Local Area Agreements; and Public Service Agreement 12—‘Improve the health and well-being of children and young people’—of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Nursery Schools: Teesside

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many children in (a) Teesside and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency are in receipt of 15 hour entitlement to free nursery care; [179617]

(2) what estimates he has made of the number of children in (a) Teesside and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency who will be affected by the funding allocated to improve nursery schools in the region. [179618]

Beverley Hughes: All three and four-year-olds in England are able to access 12Â1/2 hours a week of free early education for 38 weeks of the year. The available information on the number of part-time funded places filled by three and four-year-olds in (a) Teesside and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency is shown in the following table.

Local authority area	Three-year-olds	Four-year-olds
Middlesbrough	1,700	1,600
Redcar and Cleveland	1,500	1,500
Stockton-on-Tees	2,000	2,100
Teesside	6,200	6,200
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency area	1,000	930

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