School breakfasts - a dogs breakfast

Ever since the Labour party in Wales announced that they were going to provide free school breakfasts to all primary school pupils I have been trying to find out how much they expect this cost. The answer is that if everyone takes up the offer it will cost around £80 million per year. That is a good £14 million more than the unnecessary Welsh Assembly Building. The information released under the Freedom of Information Act to Western Mail reporter Martin Shipton suggests that the Assembly Government are fervently hoping that there will not be a wide take up describing this as a "worst case scenario."

Labour produced this idea as a manifesto gimmick without thinking it through let alone costing it properly. If they keep their promise then we will be spending £80million a year which could be used to keep open some of the many village schools which Labour Councils are intent on closing, or employing more teachers.

Still, if past performances are anything to go by, it seems likely that this commitment will be quietly forgotten along with all of the others.