Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 29 June (HL5692), when they intend to issue guidance to local authorities on the use of money for local welfare assistance schemes.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We are allocating the funding according to the size of a local authority’s population and the level of deprivation. The exact amounts will be published on the GOV.UK website in due course. We issued guidance to local authorities on Friday 10 July, which is available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-authority-emergency-assistance-grant-for-food-and-essential-supplies.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities that no longer operate a welfare assistance scheme will receive a share of the funding uplift announced on 11 June; what plans they have to monitor (1) the allocation by, and (2) the number of applications to, and grants made by, local authorities in regard to those funds; and what plans they have to publish that information.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Local authorities which no longer operate a welfare assistance scheme may receive a share of the funding, the proportion of which will be based on the agreed allocation model. We are taking a proportionate approach to monitoring. Details of this approach will be outlined in the guidance which we will issue to local authorities in receipt of this funding. We plan to publish monitoring and evaluation evidence in line with Government guidance and subject to approval by all relevant parties.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £63 million announced for local authority welfare assistance schemes will be ring-fenced; and what guidance they plan to publish as to how it should be spent including with regard to cash versus in-kind help.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The £63 million announced for local authority welfare assistance schemes will not be ring-fenced. It will be administered by local authorities, who will retain discretion on the type of support that best meets local conditions and needs.
The strategic objective of the grant is to support individuals and families who are unable to afford food and other essential items during the Covid-19 pandemic. Central guidance will be issued to reinforce the stated outcomes of the scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the poll by the Food Foundation, published on 4 May, which found that five million people in UK households with children have experienced food insecurity during the lockdown in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they are taking to address this. [T]
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra has read the Food Foundation report and will continue to monitor flows of information about food insecurity. Over the last two years Defra has worked with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Food Foundation and other NGOs to improve monitoring of household food insecurity, and the Food Insecurity Experience Scale questions are now included in the Family Resources Survey.
The measures the Government has taken in recent weeks represent an injection of £7 billion into the welfare system and form part of one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
DWP's priorities are ensuring that people get their benefit payments and that the department can continue to support those who need it the most. Additional support is being made available through the national Free School Meals (FSM) voucher scheme. Schools can ensure that families with FSM-eligible children receive a weekly shopping voucher to the value of £15 per eligible child. A large number of schools have already signed up to this scheme.
The Government will continue to work closely with charities to identify the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak on vulnerable people, including children who have experienced food insecurity. We are also working through the Food and Essential Supplies to the Vulnerable Ministerial Task Force to identify where the Government can best support the economically vulnerable. Defra will work with other departments in the coming weeks on this.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will develop and implement a cross-departmental strategy for tackling food poverty in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
Food inflation fell to an annual rate of -0.6 per cent in the year to May, down from 0.5 per cent in March, which means food is cheaper now than it was twelve months ago (the first this has happened since 2006). The Government has a clear strategy on benefits and welfare which includes making work pay, creating a fiscally sustainable system for future generations and ensuring we are focusing benefit support on those most in need. Our benefits system provides a strong safety net for the poorest and most vulnerable, with £94 billion per year provided for working age benefits which support millions of people who are on low incomes or out of work. The introduction of Universal Credit willalsosee three million households better off and significantly improve take-up of unclaimed benefits.
In addition, through Healthy Start the Government provides a nutritional safety net by encouraging healthy eating to around half a million pregnant women and children under 4 years old in low income and disadvantaged families throughout the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the recent report by Church Action on Poverty, Oxfam GB and The Trussell Trust Below the Breadline: The relentless rise of food poverty in Britain.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The Government noted the recent Below the Breadline report. The factors that impact on household food security are complex and include economic, social and environmental influences. There is no official definition of “food poverty”. A single measure would not be able to reflect the multi-faceted aspects of this issue. Year on year food prices have fallen for the first time since 2006 with an annual rate of inflation of -0.6 per cent in the year to May 2014. This is down from 0.5 per cent inflation in April.
We recognise the extremely valuable work of civil society groups in supporting local communities. There has long been a tradition in this country of voluntary and charity organisations providing support to people in need.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to monitor the scale and causes of food poverty in the United Kingdom; and what steps they plan to take.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The root causes of household food insecurity are varied and complex. The Government is committed to playing its part in tackling both short and long term challenges. While it is not the Government's role to set food prices, we work to promote open and competitive markets that help offer the best prices to consumers.
Through Healthy Start the Government provides a nutritional safety net that encourages healthy eating to around half a million pregnant women and children under 4 years old in low income and disadvantaged families throughout the UK. The Government provides free school meals to disadvantaged children, and the Deputy Prime Minister has announced healthy free school meals for all school children in reception, year 1 and year 2 from September 2014. We are reforming the welfare system to make it fairer, more affordable and better able to tackle poverty, unemployment and welfare dependency. We are also providing increased access to jobs through the Government's efforts to promote growth in the economy.