Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons there has been a delay in granting Healthy Start vouchers to newly eligible families subject to no recourse to public funds.

There is no delay in granting and issuing Healthy Start benefits to families with no recourse to public funds with British children under four years old, where they can demonstrate they meet all the eligibility criteria. Over 700 application forms have been sent to families. Of those returned to date, nine families have demonstrated they meet all the criteria. All eligible families have the benefit backdated to their first contact with the Department.