Parents abused free school meal scheme during lockdown, says Scarborough and Whitby MP

The MP for Scarborough and Whitby's been talking about the government vote against the extension of the free school meals scheme.

Tory Robert Goodwill, who was formerly Minister for Education, says many parents kept their children out of school during lockdown - so they could have supermarket vouchers instead.

He says that was detrimental to their education.

It's after a vote in the Commons went against a proposal to extend it through holidays.

Robert says the current system is good enough.

He said:

"Particularly in the North East and some of our more deprived areas, during lockdown when schools were open for children of key workers and open for those who could go to school, parents were keeping their children off school, so that they could have the vouchers to spend in the supermarkets - rather than sending them to school and getting the free school meal.

It meant a family with four children would get £60 per week in vouchers. If they sent their children to school, they'd get free school meals. That was actuually affecting the way that children were being educated."