COVID-19: Free School Meals Voucher Scheme

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Nov 2020 Closed: 19 Apr 2021 Parliament page
On 31 March 2020, as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department for Education launched a voucher scheme to help give the 1.4 million children in England eligible for free school meals continued access to meals while they were not attending school. Schools joining the scheme can … Read more
29 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
3 Sep
2021
Report published
16 Apr
2021
Correspondence
5 Feb
2021
Report published
18 Jan
2021
Correspondence
17 Dec
2020
Oral evidence
17 Dec
2020
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
17 Dec 2020
View on parliament.uk
Covid-19: the free schools meals voucher scheme
Johann Vaucanson · Edenred UK Sarah Lewis · Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the free school meals voucher sch… HC 689 5 Feb 2021 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
29 results
2 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department was surprisingly unconcerned about whether Edenred was profiting from the voucher scheme at...
The Department was surprisingly unconcerned about whether Edenred was profiting from the voucher scheme at taxpayers’ expense, and missed potential opportunities to reduce the cost or share in the profits. The Department’s policy team worked with commercial colleagues and the … Read more
Government Response
3. PAC conclusion: HM Revenue & Customs breached its Net Cash Requirement by £726 million.
HM Treasury
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3 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department did not have the information it needed to manage Edenred’s performance and understand...
The Department did not have the information it needed to manage Edenred’s performance and understand whether the scheme was meeting the needs of 6 COVID 19: the free school meals voucher scheme families. At the start of the scheme, the … Read more
Government Response
4. PAC conclusion: The Home Office breached its Net Cash Requirement by £118 million.
HM Treasury
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4 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department did not do enough to assess how far families had to travel to...
The Department did not do enough to assess how far families had to travel to supermarkets in the scheme and whether coverage was adequate to meet needs. The Department worked with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to … Read more
Government Response
5. PAC conclusion: HM Treasury breached its Capital Annually Managed Expenditure total by £32 million. 2 4
HM Treasury
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5 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Limitations in the data shared between the Department and the Department for Work & Pensions...
Limitations in the data shared between the Department and the Department for Work & Pensions meant that support for vulnerable families with children eligible for free school meals could not be routed through the benefits system. In March 2020, the … Read more
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Education (the Department) and Edenred (UK Group) Ltd (Edenred) about the free school meals voucher scheme, which ran from 1 April … Read more
Government Response
2. PAC conclusion: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy breached its Resource Annually Managed Expenditure total by £4.9 billion.
HM Treasury
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6 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department awarded a contract to administer the voucher scheme to a private contractor, Edenred.7...
The Department awarded a contract to administer the voucher scheme to a private contractor, Edenred.7 We asked the Department why it had gone down this route, and what alternative options it had considered to support pupils eligible for free school … Read more
HM Treasury
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7 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The other options the Department had considered, but ruled out, were: to make cash transfers...
The other options the Department had considered, but ruled out, were: to make cash transfers to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government or directly to local authorities to fund local arrangements for supporting vulnerable families; and to provide … Read more
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department noted that an advantage of a voucher scheme was that it made it...
The Department noted that an advantage of a voucher scheme was that it made it more likely that the money would be spent on food, which was the aim.11 We asked why the Department, having settled on a voucher scheme, … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Schools had a choice whether to use the national voucher scheme or to make local...
Schools had a choice whether to use the national voucher scheme or to make local arrangements.13 The Department emphasised that all the options it had considered would have run alongside any arrangements that schools had made for themselves. It explained … Read more
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
In written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers told us that many school leaders...
In written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers told us that many school leaders took immediate action to support pupils eligible for free school meals following the school closures. The responses included creating local schemes, using their existing catering … Read more
HM Treasury
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11 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Schools taking part in the scheme ordered electronic codes (eCodes) online that could be converted...
Schools taking part in the scheme ordered electronic codes (eCodes) online that could be converted into shopping vouchers for families to use at nominated supermarkets.17 The Department told us that a reason for selecting Edenred to run the scheme was … Read more
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department told us that the vast majority of families had easy access to participating...
The Department told us that the vast majority of families had easy access to participating retailers but acknowledged that, at the outset of the scheme, there were some families further from stores than it wanted. It said that it sought … Read more
HM Treasury
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13 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Catholic Education Service wrote to tell us that families in remote, isolated communities struggled...
The Catholic Education Service wrote to tell us that families in remote, isolated communities struggled to find an appropriate shop from which to purchase food, due to the limited number of supermarket chains taking part in the scheme.23 In its … Read more
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Edenred told us that setting up the voucher scheme in two weeks meant that it...
Edenred told us that setting up the voucher scheme in two weeks meant that it had to start with those supermarket chains with which it had an existing relationship. It then held discussions with other chains aiming, by increasing the … Read more
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Over 11,000 school administrators registered immediately after the voucher scheme opened.
Over 11,000 school administrators registered immediately after the voucher scheme opened. By August 2020, 20,717 schools had registered for the scheme (94% of state schools in England).28
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department acknowledged that there was a period early in the scheme when parents and...
The Department acknowledged that there was a period early in the scheme when parents and schools experienced quite a lot of difficulty and disruption in getting access to the vouchers. It said that it had underestimated the extent to which … Read more
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The number of calls each day to Edenred’s telephone helpline increased rapidly, from 727 on...
The number of calls each day to Edenred’s telephone helpline increased rapidly, from 727 on 1 April 2020 to 3,940 on 14 April 2020. In the early weeks of the scheme, in April 2020, Edenred called on staff from other … Read more
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
In terms of things it could have done better, the Department said that, if it...
In terms of things it could have done better, the Department said that, if it were to do the same thing again, it would try to find a way to do more user testing before the scheme started. The Department … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department recognised that the instructions for schools were not clear enough at the start...
The Department recognised that the instructions for schools were not clear enough at the start of the scheme, and it also attributed this to its lack of user-testing.33 Edenred told us that it had not been able to engage with … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Edenred told us that it discovered, after implementing an improvement to its platform at the...
Edenred told us that it discovered, after implementing an improvement to its platform at the beginning of May 2020, that 40,000 eCodes it had emailed to parents had not been delivered because of incorrect email addresses. It said that it … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department accepted that there were many things about the scheme that could have been...
The Department accepted that there were many things about the scheme that could have been better. Both the Department and Edenred apologised to schools and parents who experienced difficulty and disruption. Edenred said that it was very sorry to families … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department told us that, at the start of the scheme, it started collecting management...
The Department told us that, at the start of the scheme, it started collecting management information from Edenred twice daily. Initially it collected data only on the number of orders from schools and the number of vouchers ordered by parents.39
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department did not systematically collect data on Edenred’s processing times, or how long it...
The Department did not systematically collect data on Edenred’s processing times, or how long it took people to access Edenred’s website to order eCodes or convert them into vouchers.40 It also did not monitor performance against the service-level indicator in … Read more
HM Treasury
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24 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
In April 2020, schools had to wait over 42 minutes on average to access Edenred’s...
In April 2020, schools had to wait over 42 minutes on average to access Edenred’s website.44 In written evidence, Truro and Penrith Academy Trust told us that its school business manager had to try uploading the school’s orders to Edenred’s … Read more
HM Treasury
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25 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department told us that it spent £384 million on the voucher scheme, in addition...
The Department told us that it spent £384 million on the voucher scheme, in addition to the £1.2 billion funding for free school meals in schools every year.47 The Department signed an initial contract with Edenred on 28 March 2020, … Read more
HM Treasury
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26 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department told us that it was used to managing contracts, and that its policy...
The Department told us that it was used to managing contracts, and that its policy team worked with commercial colleagues and the Crown Commercial Service in managing the contract with Edenred.49 In written evidence, the Department confirmed that it was … Read more
HM Treasury
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27 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The Department paid Edenred the face value of eCodes issued to families, less any cancelled...
The Department paid Edenred the face value of eCodes issued to families, less any cancelled or expired codes, meaning that the final cost to the Department was the value of vouchers that families received.52 Under the terms of its framework … Read more
HM Treasury
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28 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
Edenred generated revenue from the scheme by buying vouchers from supermarket chains at a discount...
Edenred generated revenue from the scheme by buying vouchers from supermarket chains at a discount on their face value.55 It explained that it had individual arrangements with each supermarket participating in the scheme, but declined to share any details of … Read more
HM Treasury
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29 Conclusion
Forty-First Report - COVID 19: the…
The contract included an open book arrangement giving the Department access to information about Edenred’s...
The contract included an open book arrangement giving the Department access to information about Edenred’s income and costs relating to the scheme. However, the Department did not make use of this arrangement during the course of the scheme.57 The Department … Read more
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 2 letters
16 Apr 2021 Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Free school meals packages, 24 March 2021
Parliament page
18 Jan 2021 Correspondence from Susan Acland - Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re PAC hearing on 17 December 2020 - Investigation into the Free school meals voucher scheme, dated 13 January 2021
Parliament page