Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have provided, if any, to local authorities about using data proactively to identify and register all eligible children for free school meal entitlement.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.
To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.
The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities but continues to engage with key stakeholder on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of local authorities using data proactively to identify and register children eligible for free school meals.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.
To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.
The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities but continues to engage with key stakeholder on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to tackle modern slavery.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery to ensure that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted.
The Home Office continues to fund specialist support for adult victims of modern slavery in England and Wales through the £379 million Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract and for children, who receive support through local authority safeguarding structures, we are also continuing to work with Barnardo’s to provide additional and tailored support through the Independent Child Trafficking Guardian service.
Since 2016, in addition to core police funding, we have invested £17.8 million in the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit, a specialist police unit which supports all police forces in England and Wales to improve their response to modern slavery.
In addition, between 2016 and March 2023, the Home Office spent over £40.4 million through the Modern Slavery Fund to combat modern slavery overseas and reduce the threat of human trafficking to the UK. We continue to work across operational partners and the sector to deliver on modern slavery.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past 12 months for which data are available, how much money was (1) credited to NHS Healthy Start cards, (2) used by entitled beneficiaries within the period of time they have available to spend that money on valid items, and (3) not used.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the Healthy Start scheme, pregnant women and children aged under four years old and over one years old, each receive £4.25 every week, and children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, milk and infant formula. The money is loaded onto a pre-paid payment card. Beneficiaries are not required to spend the money each week and it can be accumulated and put towards more expensive Healthy Start items, such as infant formula. The legislation states that only after 16 consecutive weeks of the pre-paid payment card not being used can the card be cancelled.
This flexibility in how and when the money can be used means that the total amount spent in any one month can exceed the amount added in that month, if beneficiaries have accumulated funds in previous months. The following table shows the latest data for how much was added onto Healthy Start cards and spent, per month, during 2023:
Month | Total added | Total spent |
January | £7,859,474.75 | £8,353,475.29 |
February | £7,435,669.76 | £7,320,424.91 |
March | £10,626,362.86 | £8,971,140.57 |
April | £11,665,242.36 | £10,012,024.12 |
May | £8,137,362.11 | £8,218,389.00 |
June | £7,805,625.26 | £7,873,571.30 |
July | £9,171,390.95 | £8,021,060.44 |
August | £8,535,237.75 | £7,985,449.52 |
September | £7,549,456.50 | £7,887,565.69 |
October | £8,289,498.25 | £7,715,832.34 |
November | £7,954,638.13 | £7,131,207.48 |
December | £7,750,004.57 | £7,013,663.46 |
This flexibility also means that from month to month some of the money may remain on the payment cards without being used. During 2023 the average outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards was £12.6 million. This equates to around £37 per household. If a card was unused for 16 weeks as permitted in the legislation, it would accumulate £68 for a pregnant woman or a family with a child over one and under four, or £136 for a family with twins under one years old. The average balance of £37 per household is less than 16 weeks’ entitlement, although these are aggregate figures and there will be variation across households. The following table shows the total outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards, per month, during 2023:
Month | Total outstanding balance |
January | £11,876,537.16 |
February | £11,456,639.28 |
March | £11,444,727.51 |
April | £12,465,403.05 |
May | £12,238,144.26 |
June | £12,123,823.55 |
July | £12,777,017.89 |
August | £13,193,581.26 |
September | £13,677,365.89 |
October | £13,066,802.63 |
November | £13,418,231.23 |
December | £13,850,960.26 |
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what happens to any money credited to NHS Healthy Start cards that is not used by entitled beneficiaries within the period of time they have available to spend that money on valid items.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the Healthy Start scheme, pregnant women and children aged under four years old and over one years old, each receive £4.25 every week, and children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, milk and infant formula. The money is loaded onto a pre-paid payment card. Beneficiaries are not required to spend the money each week and it can be accumulated and put towards more expensive Healthy Start items, such as infant formula. The legislation states that only after 16 consecutive weeks of the pre-paid payment card not being used can the card be cancelled.
This flexibility in how and when the money can be used means that the total amount spent in any one month can exceed the amount added in that month, if beneficiaries have accumulated funds in previous months. The following table shows the latest data for how much was added onto Healthy Start cards and spent, per month, during 2023:
Month | Total added | Total spent |
January | £7,859,474.75 | £8,353,475.29 |
February | £7,435,669.76 | £7,320,424.91 |
March | £10,626,362.86 | £8,971,140.57 |
April | £11,665,242.36 | £10,012,024.12 |
May | £8,137,362.11 | £8,218,389.00 |
June | £7,805,625.26 | £7,873,571.30 |
July | £9,171,390.95 | £8,021,060.44 |
August | £8,535,237.75 | £7,985,449.52 |
September | £7,549,456.50 | £7,887,565.69 |
October | £8,289,498.25 | £7,715,832.34 |
November | £7,954,638.13 | £7,131,207.48 |
December | £7,750,004.57 | £7,013,663.46 |
This flexibility also means that from month to month some of the money may remain on the payment cards without being used. During 2023 the average outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards was £12.6 million. This equates to around £37 per household. If a card was unused for 16 weeks as permitted in the legislation, it would accumulate £68 for a pregnant woman or a family with a child over one and under four, or £136 for a family with twins under one years old. The average balance of £37 per household is less than 16 weeks’ entitlement, although these are aggregate figures and there will be variation across households. The following table shows the total outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards, per month, during 2023:
Month | Total outstanding balance |
January | £11,876,537.16 |
February | £11,456,639.28 |
March | £11,444,727.51 |
April | £12,465,403.05 |
May | £12,238,144.26 |
June | £12,123,823.55 |
July | £12,777,017.89 |
August | £13,193,581.26 |
September | £13,677,365.89 |
October | £13,066,802.63 |
November | £13,418,231.23 |
December | £13,850,960.26 |
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Post Office employees lost their jobs as the result of evidence relating to the Horizon software presented by Fujitsu.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not hold the data requested. Our focus is on ensuring that all those who lost their Post Office roles or experienced other losses as a result of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they deserve.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to recover all compensation cost payments made to sub-postmasters and mistresses from Fujitsu, and when they expect Fujitsu’s contribution to those costs to be paid.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The extent of Fujitsu's culpability for the scandal will not be clear until the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry reports. However Ministers have made clear that the taxpayer should not have to meet all the costs of the scandal. In the light of such comments Fujitsu have recently apologised publicly for their role in the scandal and have accepted that they have a moral obligation to contribute to its costs. The Government welcomes these statements and will continue to discuss matters with Fujitsu.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that accounting software used in the UK is free of flaws and defects, such as those experienced with the Horizon system.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston
Like business software in general, accounting software is not directly regulated in the UK. The directors of a UK company must prepare accounts that give a true and fair view of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This builds on requirements that the company keeps adequate records for preparation of accounts. It is for the company to ensure software supporting these requirements does not cause them to fail to be met. Where accounting software is not fit for purpose, a company may have contractual remedies for breach of quality by the supplier, depending on the contract terms.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional expenditure that would be incurred if free school meals were to be provided to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for benefits-related free school meals (FSM). This includes pupils attending a local authority maintained, academy or free school nursery, as long as they are either in full-time education or receive education both before and after lunch and meet the benefits-related FSM eligibility criteria.
Additionally, close to 1.3 million infants receive free and nutritious meals under the universal infant FSM policy (UIFSM).
The department does not currently have plans to change the existing eligibility conditions for FSM or UIFSM. As such, the department has not made an estimate of the associated costs of providing FSM to all registered pupils at maintained nursery schools in England as well as to children in receipt of relevant funded early years education. The department continues to keep eligibility of FSM under review.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the most recent period of 12 months for which data are available, how many benefit claims were cancelled or suspended while third-party accusations about claimants' circumstances were investigated, what proportion of those claims were fully reinstated following an investigation, and what was the average length of time taken to investigate those claims.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
DWP values the role played by members of the public in reporting suspected fraud and takes appropriate action in relation to all such allegations. However, we do not hold information regarding the number of such cases suspended or closed whilst a fraud investigation is ongoing.
A claim would only be suspended whilst investigations are ongoing where there is strong intelligence/evidence that benefit entitlement is in doubt. The claimant would be informed of the specific reason for this, with all decisions on suspension being made in accordance with legislation and case law.
Such decisions are not taken lightly but are important in ensuring not only that losses to the public purse as a result of suspected fraud are minimised, but also in ensuring that the individual concerned does not incur potentially large benefit overpayments that they might later be required to repay.