Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the additional £63 million funding for the Welfare Assistance Fund announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 June 2020 is being funded; when it will become available; and for how long that funding will be made available.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.
The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the additional £63 million funding for the Welfare Assistance Fund announced at Prime Minister’s Questions on 10 June 2020 will be made available to local authorities in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.
The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 10 June 2020 of a £63 million welfare assistance fund in response to the covid-19 outbreak, how her Department plans to distribute that fund among local authorities; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.
The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.
Asked by: Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Prime Minister on 10 June 2020 of a £63 million welfare assistance fund in response to the covid-19 outbreak, whether people who have no recourse to public funds will be eligible for that fund in each local authority; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
To support those people who are facing severe financial difficulties during this crisis, the Government has announced further funding of £63 million to be given to and disbursed by local authorities in England. This will ensure that the most vulnerable families can afford food and other essentials. This funding will sit alongside the £6.5 billion of extra support the Government is providing through the benefits system to protect the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.
The additional £63 million will be for local authorities to spend at their discretion and at the pace which suits the needs of their community. The money will be distributed through a Section 31 grant. Funding arrangements will be finalised shortly. Most local authorities already operate these schemes and understand the legal context within which they operate, including entitlement for those with no recourse to public funds.