Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jo Churchill and Rachel Hopkins

Monday 5th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood) (Lab)]

6. What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between increases in the cost of living and trends in the use of food banks.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

16. What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential relationship between increases in the cost of living and trends in the use of food banks.

[The Minister for Employment (Jo Churchill)]

The Government take food security very seriously and are committed to understanding and addressing food poverty. The reasons that people use food banks are complex and varied. Food banks are independent charitable organisations and the Government have no role in their operation. As such, data on trends are not currently available.

[Jo Churchill]

As I said, the reasons that people use food banks are complex and varied, as all the research indicates. We offer support through cost of living payments and the household support fund, running to hundreds of millions of pounds. The rise in the national living wage, the reduction in national insurance and the local housing allowance further help 1.6 million low-income households. We have a whole of suite of ways to help the very poorest in our society.

[Rachel Hopkins]

Food banks such as the excellent Luton Foodbank have been pushed to breaking point this winter, as more and more people need emergency food due to the Conservatives’ cost of living crisis. It is shameful that we now have more food banks than police stations. What conversations has the Minister had with colleagues in the Treasury about introducing measures in next month’s Budget to support low-income working people facing hardship and to reduce the dependence on food banks?