Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average weekly Healthy Start payment was for (a) individuals entitled to the scheme and (b) households with claimants receiving a digital card payment in March 2023.

In March 2023, the average weekly Healthy Start payment for individuals on the scheme was £7.25 and the average weekly payment for households was £7.86. This includes one-off back dated payments, which were made to some beneficiaries’ pre-paid cards in March.

The average weekly payment for individuals on the scheme, not including back dated payments, was £5.03 and the average weekly payment for households, not including back dated payments, was £5.49.