Oct. 18 2023
Source Page: Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland Fairer Scotland Duty Impact AssessmentFound: Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing direct grants to food banks.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Government does not have any role in their operation.
Oct. 18 2023
Source Page: Cash-First: Towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland Equality Impact AssessmentFound: Cash-First: Towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland Equality Impact Assessment
Oct. 17 2023
Source Page: Letter dated 13/10/2023 from Andrew Murrison MP to John Healey MP regarding a question concerning food banks and UK military bases. 2p.Found: Letter dated 13/10/2023 from Andrew Murrison MP to John Healey MP regarding a question concerning food
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report entitled Emergency food parcel distribution in the UK: April– September 2023 published by the Trussell Trust on 8 November 2023 which noted that 46% of all food parcels provided by the Trust’s food banks are for families with three or more children.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children. From April 2023, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1% and, subject to Parliamentary approval, working-age benefits will rise by 6.7% from April 2024, in line with inflation.
With over 900 thousand job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting parents to move into and progress in work. This approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. In 2021/22 children living in workless households were 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty, after housing costs, than those where all adults work.
To help people into work, our core Jobcentre offer provides a range of options, including face-to-face time with work coaches and interview assistance. In addition, there is specific support targeted towards young people, people aged 50 plus and job seekers with disabilities or health issues.
To further support parents into work, on 28th June 2023, the maximum monthly amounts that a parent can be reimbursed for their childcare increased by 47%, from £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children to £950.92 and £1,630.15 respectively. Importantly, we can now also provide even more help with upfront childcare costs when parents move into work or increase their hours. In addition, on 1 April 2024, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage.
This government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of £104bn over 2022-25 to help households and individuals.
In the financial year 2023/24, this has included Cost of Living payments totalling up to £900 for households on eligible means-tested benefits, a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment for people on eligible ‘extra cost’ disability benefits; and, for pensioner households, an additional £300 Cost of Living payment paid as a top up to the winter fuel payment.
The Household Support Fund is running throughout the financial year 2023/24. This enables Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the cost of essentials.
Further, from April 2024, to support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents for private renters. This will benefit 1.6m low-income households by on average £800 a year in 24/25.
Oct. 18 2023
Source Page: Cash-First: Towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland Islands Communities Impact AssessmentFound: Cash-First: Towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland Islands Communities Impact Assessment
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support local charities and food banks during the increased cost of living.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government understands that the cost of living is affecting many civil society organisations, which are seeing increased demand as well as higher running costs. That is why, in the Budget this Spring, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of over £100 million for charities and community organisations across England.
This funding is split into two strands and is supporting organisations in need right now. The £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has closed for applications, and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable people and households.
The second strand, the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise Energy Efficiency Scheme, is now open for applications. Eligible frontline organisations can first apply for an independent energy assessment, and can then apply for a capital grant of between £2,000 and £150,000 to install capital energy measures. Applications for assessments are now open, and applications for capital funding will be open from January 2024. More information can be found at www.groundwork.org.uk/vcseenergyefficiency.
HM Government is also supporting all organisations, including civil society ones, with their energy bills until March 2024 through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the volume of food donated to food banks arising from "Natasha’s Law" regarding food labelling, which requires allergen labelling on pre-packaged direct sale food.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
This was strengthened, for food that is sold prepacked for direct sale, with the introduction of Natasha’s Law in 2021.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently conducted an evaluation of the impact of the law. During the evaluation, the FSA spoke to stakeholders including food businesses.
While the evaluation did not focus specifically on food redistribution, it did offer stakeholders the opportunity to discuss their experiences implementing the new law broadly. There was no significant evidence provided in respect of impact on food donations. However, we are clear that, irrespective of how food is distributed, whether for sale or provided free, consumer safety must remain the priority.
Defra and the FSA have worked with WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) to produce comprehensive guidance on surplus food redistribution to help businesses and charities safely and efficiently redistribute surplus and prevent good food going to waste.
The FSA continues to engage with stakeholders regarding the impact of Natasha's Law, to ensure any issues are identified and resolved.
Written Evidence May. 29 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: FDO0141 - Food, Diet and Obesity Teesside University Written Evidence
Mentions:
1: Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) banks has increased relentlessly since the inquiry published its report, is a shocking indictment of - Speech Link