Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas insists the government is tackling child poverty - and its actions are showing signs of success.

He was responding to a front page story in last week’s Examiner in which we reported a 29% increase over the last decade in the number of children receiving free school meals.

There are currently 1,957 pupils who receive free school meals, 1,196 in primary schools and 761 in secondary schools. In 2010-11, the total figure was 1,513 (828 primary and 685 secondary).

Mr Thomas accepted that the figures do show a 29% ’jump’ since 2010 in the number of pupils receiving free school meals whereas the pupil roll has decreased by 12%.

But he said this is not a recent ’surge’ - in fact, the recent trend is a slight decline, from just over 2,000 free school meals before the 2016 general election to just below 2,000 now.

Mr Thomas said: ’Every young person deserves the best possible life opportunity - whatever their situation at home - and going without a healthy school meal through lack of household means affects achievement and employment.

’Moreover, poverty can strain families, sometimes leading to parental mental health, relationship and other problems which can impact children.

’That is why it is so important to provide free school meals to children of families on the means-tested benefits of income based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employed Person’s Allowance and Income Support.

’And why it is important that the number of pupils receiving free school meals is an important factor in allocating school budgets in the island, with a weighting applied to all schools when the number exceeds the average.

’And why government and Tynwald has changed policy in the last few years to encourage an increase in the household income for those who have been struggling by, especially those with children, as the cost of living can rise by more than £200 a week for the first child and by another £100 for subsequent children.’

Mr Thomas said that Employed Person’s Allowance, Income Support and Child Benefit have continued to be uprated in line with inflation in the island, and child benefit was actually raised by 5% in 2019, more than twice the rate of inflation.

By contrast in the UK, he said, the rates of a number of working age benefits, tax credits and child benefit have been frozen since 2015.

In addition, in 2018 the maximum amount of help that can be given towards child care costs through Employed Person’s Allowance was increased significantly here, and pre-school credits and student awards have been enhanced for poorer families.

Mr Thomas said: ’In-work poverty has been tackled through raising the minimum wage substantially since 2014, (from £6.40 to £8.25 per hour), by calculating a Living Wage (£9.76 an hour) and by focusing on raising low and median earnings through encouraging higher value enterprise and employment.

’There are signs of success.

’For instance the number of people earning both the minimum wage and less than the calculated living wage has fallen by around 2% since 2016, and only 30% of those surveyed in the 2018/29 Household Income and Expenditure Survey who were in the lowest quarter of household income were in-work.

’Indeed one possible explanation for the rise and subsequent slight fall in the number of free school meals is the correlated rise and fall in the number of people receiving Employed Person’s Allowance, the benefit available to certain people who work and who have a low to moderate income, alongside the falling number of claimants of the other free school meals benefits.’

He added: ’Two things in closing: firstly comparison between Isle of Man and UK free school meals figures is problematic as some changes in social security benefits across have not been introduced here (e.g. Universal Credit, more conditionality and sanctions, the ’two child rule’) and free school meal administration is also different (e.g. eligibility for most children is determined each September, when parents on income-related benefits are invited to apply, not continuously).

’Secondly, regardless of the statistics and eligibility nuances, I am sure this government and this Tynwald are committed to the future of every child on the Isle of Man, providing life opportunities for all.’