Oral Answers to Questions

Daniel Kawczynski Excerpts

Monday 25th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[David Johnston (Wantage) (Con)]

What support her Department is providing to vulnerable people to help meet essential costs in winter 2020-21.

[Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)]

What steps her Department is taking to support vulnerable people with essential costs in winter 2020-21.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse Coffey)]

The £170 million covid winter grant scheme is supporting disadvantaged people through the challenging winter months to the end of March with food and utilities. The first wave of funding was given to councils in November. The next tranche of payments is due next month and support for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is already included in the pre-agreed Barnett funding. I have been pleased to see councils go beyond just issuing food vouchers. For example, in Telford and the Wrekin, where a large number of pupils had reportedly been going to school without a warm coat, some of the funding will help ensure that these disadvantaged children are warmly dressed for the cold winter months.

--- Later in debate ---

[Daniel Kawczynski]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, by providing funding to support families with children of all ages, including pre-school children, the covid winter grant scheme will give local authorities the flexibility they need to ensure that no child goes hungry this winter?

[Dr Coffey]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. The terms of the condition of the grants to councils were clear that they needed to reach out to support children of all ages who are disadvantaged. Councils have the ties and the knowledge that make them well placed to identify that. I commend Shropshire County Council, which has received £850,000 over the scheme, for drawing on this information to target its support to help children of all ages, including pre-schoolers and care leavers who are exactly the groups that I hoped would also benefit from the support.