Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the joint report by Barnardo's and the Co-op A recipe for success: How do children and young people want to access food in their communities?, published in September, what plans they have to review the Healthy Start programme to (1) assess its value, and (2) improve its uptake.

This Government is committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever, as set out in our Child Health Action Plan. The Healthy Start scheme is kept under continuous review and the Department in June 2022 commissioned an evaluation of the Healthy Start scheme in England through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

In April 2021, the value of Healthy Start rose from £3.10 to £4.25 per week, providing additional support to pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthy food choices. Children aged under one each receive £8.50 in total per week, a rise from £6.20 a week. This was an increase of 37% and we currently have no plans to increase the value further.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHSBSA is committed to increasing uptake of the Healthy Start scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.

The NHSBSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHSBSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them to promote the scheme.