Food Banks

Debate between Andy Slaughter and Jonathan Ashworth

Wednesday 18th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is right. I have an excellent charity, the Irish Youth Foundation, in my constituency. It is using its capital money to set up emergency food banks, and to provide emergency aid and relief for desperate young people who are going without food. That has happened as a consequence of this Government’s policies.

[Jonathan Ashworth]

My hon. Friend makes his point with great eloquence.

Sadly, too many areas of my constituency appear too high up in the various deprivation statistics, and we have had an increase in demand for food banks. The Open Hands food bank in Highfields says it is doubling the number of food parcels it hands out. In the Saffron Lane area, there is an increase in the number of women going to food banks. Primary schools hand out food parcels to parents who are too ashamed to go to the food banks on their estates.