Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department have made of trends in the distribution of food parcels in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne Central (b) the North East and (c) the UK.

Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. As such, data on trends in the distribution of food parcels in Newcastle upon Tyne Central, the North East, and the UK is not available.

This government is committed to understanding and addressing poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023.

National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.

In 2021/22, 3% of individuals, or 2.1m people, were living in households where a food bank has been used in the 12 months prior to the interview.

In 2021/22, 4% of households in the North East used a food bank in the 12 months prior to the interview.

Statistics are not available at the constituency level.

This Government is committed to a sustainable long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes and we will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children and around £152 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £77 billion will be spent on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. (GB, includes non-DWP spend, prices in 23-24 terms).

Over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits will receive additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900. More than eight million pensioner households across the UK will receive an additional £300 Cost of Living Payment during winter 2023-24 and over 6 million people across the UK on eligible ’extra-costs’ disability benefits will receive a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment during summer 2023-24, to help with the additional costs they face.

For those who require extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a year-long extension of the Household Support Fund in England this financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their additional Barnett funding. Newcastle upon Tyne has been allocated £5,796,808 for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 to support those most in need with the cost of essentials, including those who may not be eligible for other Government support.