Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that consideration of the food and nutrition needs of infants and young children, and associated challenges facing young families, is included in the forthcoming White Paper on the National Food Strategy.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The forthcoming Government Food Strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a food system that feeds our nation today and protects it for tomorrow. It will build upon work already underway in the Agriculture Act, Fisheries Act, and Environment Bill as well as docking into wider Government priorities, such as the obesity strategy.
The Government is wholly committed to supporting people on lower incomes, for example through increasing the living wage and spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
It is also supporting the health and nutrition of young families through initiatives like the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and this year’s increase to The Healthy Start voucher value. The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme provides a free piece of fruit or vegetable to every child in Key Stage 1 at state-funded primary schools on every school day, while the Healthy Start vouchers encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children from low-income households, and increased in value from £3.10 to £4.25 from April 2021.
Defra will continue to work closely with all other relevant Departments across Whitehall to develop a plan to ensure the food system is sustainable and affordable, supporting people and families to live healthy lives, and incorporate within our Food Strategy
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme will continue beyond September 2021.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme will continue to be offered from September 2021 to all children in Key Stage 1 at state-funded primary schools.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expand the NHS School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme to include primary school children aged six and older.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme provides over 2.3 million children in Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Approximately 450 million pieces of fruit and vegetables are distributed to children annually. There are currently no plans to extend the scheme to include children in Key Stage 2.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to source more of the produce used in the NHS School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme from British farmers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is operated by a private contractor on behalf of the Department and produce grown by British farmers is used as part of the Scheme.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the cost of the contract for the delivery of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme has reduced in recent years.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The cost of the contract for the delivery of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme has not reduced in recent years. It has, however, fluctuated in recent years by £1 million or £2 million depending on any supply challenges or distributor issues.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse as a result of suspending the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme from March to September 2020; and how those funds have been allocated.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The saving to the public purse as a result of suspending the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme from for the final two weeks of the spring term and the whole of the summer term 2020 was just over £10 million.
The funding for the Scheme which was not spent during the suspension was used to support other Government priorities during the pandemic.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include all primary school age children in the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme resumed in September when children returned to school. As before, all children in Key Stage 1 in state-funded primary schools receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day.
There are currently no plans to extend this scheme to all primary school pupils.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will issue guidance to schools on using locally grown produce in the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is run centrally by the Department of Health and Social Care, and funded jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. It is not commissioned locally by schools themselves.
The Scheme is operated by a private contractor on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care and produce grown in the United Kingdom is used as part of the Scheme.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to restart the school fruit and vegetable scheme; and whether he plans to extend that scheme to all primary school pupils.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme resumed in September when children returned to school. As before, all children in Key Stage 1 in state-funded primary schools will receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day.
There are currently no plans to extend this scheme to all primary school pupils.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to reintroduce the school Fruit and Vegetable scheme when schools return in September 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme will resume in September when all children will return to school. As before, all children in Key Stage 1 in state-funded primary schools will receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable every school day.