Universal Credit and Free School Meals - Anything Changing ?

Does anyone have any clues about if/when the ‘interim solution’ (ie full passporting) for free school meals for UC claimants will come to an end?

I’ve not seen anything to suggest that any change is imminent ..there’s this from IDS himself

“Duncan Hames (Chippenham) (LD): Now that the roll-out of universal credit is beginning in Wiltshire, what effect will it have on the identification of children’s eligibility for free school meals ....?

Mr Duncan Smith: In the first instance, we have already agreed with the Department for Education on how that will work. It is set on a series of moments when it will apply the free school meals eligibility. I think that it will actually be better than the present system….”

( Commons Hansard 9 March :  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150309/debtext/150309-0001.htm#st_o127 )

.. but that’s not particularly helpful.

This is what we have been told:
‘We have been working closely with other Departments to consider how they might continue to deliver their passported benefits to those getting Universal Credit as it is rolled out further. To ensure those benefits continue to be targeted at those who need them most, we have agreed to the introduction of a system of earnings thresholds to enable the continued delivery of passported benefits under Universal Credit. We are now working with Departments to determine the right earnings thresholds which will be introduced as claimant numbers expand from 2015/16. ...... We are exploring with other Departments whether in the longer term there might be a more effective way of delivering these passported benefits. In the meantime, we believe that using earnings thresholds to determine eligibility provides a sound basis for delivering these benefits. As we rollout Universal Credit in a carefully controlled way we will use the ‘Test & Learn’ approach to develop evidence to help Departments to determine the effectiveness of earnings thresholds as the caseload expands during 2015/16’. 

Test and learn seems to be the ‘in’ phrase at the moment.

That ministerial statement still seems to be the latest official line.  It fitted my suggestion some months ago of the likely approach that would be taken. A similar approach is already used in the assessment of Disabled Facilities Grants where they are passported for someone receiving Working Tax Credit but only where that is awarded for earnings under about £15,000 gross. I suspect that that may be a rough benchmark of the likely threshold.

Thanks - does this mean that the cash-equivalent plan for UC passported benefits (mooted years ago now) has been dropped?