Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
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.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of people using food banks in each month since January 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. As such, monthly breakdowns are not available.
National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, What steps his department is taking to support food banks, in the context of rises in the cost-of-living.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Government does not have any role in their operation.
However, the Government recognises the challenges facing households due to elevated costs of living, and has taken further steps to protect struggling families. Taken together, support for households is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24.
This includes targeted support for millions of the most vulnerable households this year through up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits, with an additional £300 for pensioner households, and £150 for individuals on disability benefits. This is in addition to the £650 Cost of Living Payment made last year to households on means-tested benefits, with additional support for pensioners and individuals on disability benefits.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government also announced a further, twelve-month extension to the Household Support Fund in England, with £1bn additional funding (including Barnett funding for the Devolved Administrations), which started on 1 April 2023. This allows Local Authorities to provide crisis support to vulnerable households, such as through supermarket vouchers or partnering with food banks.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
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 impact of his Department's policies on food bank use in the UK.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation.
National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.
This Government recognises the pressures on the cost of living. Around 19 million families will have seen their benefit payments increase from April 2023, including the State Pension, Pension Credit, disability benefit and Universal Credit. We are also increasing the benefit cap by 10.1% - from £20,000 to £22,020 for families nationally, so that more households will see their payments increase as a result of uprating.
This Government is also delivering a £94 billion package over this year and next to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of food price inflation on the demand for emergency parcels from food banks in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the impact of rising food prices, which are occurring as a result of Putin's illegal war in Ukraine and the aftershocks of the pandemic are having a global impact, with food prices rising at home and abroad. We are keeping the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors all key agricultural commodities.
March 2023 food price inflation was 19.2%, an increase compared to February 2023 when it was 18.2%. Industry analyst expectations are that we are either at or very close to the food price inflation peak. They then expect food price inflation to gradually decrease over the remainder of 2023.This means that food prices are expected to still increase, but at a slower rate than before.
That’s why tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we’re monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. There is no consistent and accurate measure of foodbank usage at a constituency or national level.
We understand the data limitations in this area, and therefore the Department for Work and Pensions introduced a set of questions into the Family Resources Survey to measure and track food bank usage. The first results, published last week, will help Government to understand more about the characteristics of people most in need and will shape Government to support the most vulnerable.
Latest statistics from DWPs Family Resources Survey show that in 2021/22, 93% of households in the UK were food secure (88% have high food security and 6% have marginal food security), virtually unchanged compared to 93% in 2020/21.
DEFRA has also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence. Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the numbers of people using foodbanks.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to understanding and addressing poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time. National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.
The latest statistics show that in 2021/22, 93% of individuals were food secure.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with businesses on offering surplus food stocks to food banks.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food and Drink Waste Hierarchy includes the expectation that all businesses prioritise surplus redistribution before disposal. Government works closely with businesses through our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to overcome any barriers to this requirement. This includes the development of guidance and best practice through a sector wide working group, and support for the Target Measure Act (TMA) approach to understanding and acting on food waste in supply chains, including the redistribution of any surplus should it arise.
Since 2018, Defra funding of nearly £13m has supported both large and small redistribution organisations across the country to make sure more surplus food gets to charities.
Surplus food redistribution | WRAP
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in (a) energy and (b) pet food bills on pet ownership.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To support households, the Energy Price Guarantee was put in place as a temporary measure on 1st October 2022 to cap typical energy bills at £2,500 per year. This scheme has cut the typical family energy bill by over £1,300 since October and has now been extended to the end of June this year. The Energy Bill Support Scheme has also helped to reduce household energy bills over the past six months with a £400 discount paid in monthly instalments.
Defra officials regularly meet stakeholders to understand the issues and trends affecting the sector, including the impact of the rise in the cost of living on those who care for companion animals. Sector groups are closely monitoring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and identifying where more support may be needed. We welcome the support they are currently providing through pet food banks and financial support with veterinary treatment which is helping to reduce the pressure on pet owners.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of families receiving income-related benefits that used food banks in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that estimate.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.
The statistics show that in 2021/22 11% of households in receipt of any income-related benefits had used a food bank in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to clean the banks of the river Thames from plastics and other waste.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The riparian owner is usually responsible for clearing watercourses and waterside land and they will be best placed to understand how to tackle local issues such as littering. The statutory Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse sets out the standards of cleaning that litter authorities are expected to be able to achieve on waterside land.
We have been proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and the Great British Beach Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events again.