Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been signposted to a food bank by staff at Shettleston Jobcentre in the last 12 months.

Under long-standing national guidance issued to all Jobcentres, staff can signpost benefit claimants to a local food back provided all sources of formal support have been considered. Although staff are not required to keep records of the number of signposting slips issued, they may set up a process for recording the issue of signposting slips for authentication purposes only, if the local food banks asks them to do so. Staff can make local arrangements to reflect any specific restrictions set by their food bank around the use of their services; however, any decision to award a food parcel is a matter for the food bank alone.

The staff in Shettleston Jobcentre continue to work closely with local food bank managers to ensure vulnerable people get the support they need.