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1718768

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for trends in the level of the use of food banks in the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26778
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department does not have any role in their operation.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics on foodbank usage can be found in the household food security data tables found here -</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2022-to-2023" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2022-to-2023</a></p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/05/2024 12:53:17 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1696534

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's policy on the use of foodbank signposting slips at Jobcentres on vulnerable households.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	902039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>On 19 February we introduced a new food charity signposting slip to replace the one previously used.</p><p>This does not change DWP signposting policy but improves the signposting slip to comply with our obligations under GDPR.</p><p>Our Jobcentres continue to provide customers with guidance to find additional support, including signposting to emergency food support when appropriate.</p><p>The new slip does not include any personal data. It also now provides claimants with information on where they might access emergency food locally, and wider sources of support.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 18/03/2024 17:00:25 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1693221

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with the Trussell Trust on the trends in the level of donations required to meet demand for food banks.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	16699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2024 answer text <p>DWP officials regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders including the Trussell Trust. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not have any role in their operation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next release of the Households Below Average Income statistics, covering the year 2022/23, is due in March 2024. This will include updated national statistics on both food security and food bank use.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 11/03/2024 15:43:41 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1687083

registered interest
date	02/02/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will hold discussions with food bank providers on the potential merits of publishing data on the number of people who used a foodbank on at least one occasion in every month of (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
tabling member constituency	Warrington North
tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
uin	12874
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2024 answer text <p>This government takes the issue of food security very seriously and is committed to understanding and addressing food poverty which is why we published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The next release of the Households Below Average Income statistics, covering the year 2022/23, is due in March 2024. This will include updated national statistics on both food security and food bank use.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 08/02/2024 14:06:41 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1684473

registered interest
date	23/01/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of food banks operating (a) as of 23 January 2024 (b) in 2010.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	10982
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2024 answer text <p>The latest statistics show that in 2021/22, 7% (4.7m) of all individuals lived in food insecure households. For working age adults this figure was 7% (2.9m), for children it was 12% (1.7m) and for pensioners it was 1% (0.2m).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in the operation of foodbanks. We do not have reliable statistics on the number of foodbanks operating.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 10983 question first answered 29/01/2024 14:51:25 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1627033

registered interest
date	11/05/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	184654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2023 answer text <p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">here</a>. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22, 4% of households in the North East used a food bank in the 12 months prior to the interview.</p><p> </p><p>Statistics are not available at the constituency level.</p><p> </p><p>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).</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 19/05/2023 13:48:07 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1624049

registered interest
date	26/04/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	182862
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2023 answer text <p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation.</p><p> </p><p>National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">here</a>. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 02/05/2023 16:00:37 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1624060

registered interest
date	26/04/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	182823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2023 answer text <p>Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. As such, monthly breakdowns are not available.</p><p> </p><p>National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">here</a>. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 09/05/2023 16:14:08 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

1611386

registered interest
date	17/04/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	181014
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2023 answer text <p>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 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">here.</a> We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The latest statistics show that in 2021/22, 93% of individuals were food secure.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 20/04/2023 15:42:53 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1599687

registered interest
date	27/02/2023
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish their evidence review on the drivers of food bank usage; and whether they have considered the potential merits of including the need to use a food bank, alongside undue hardship, in the criteria which may exempt claimants from having deductions taken from their universal credit claim.
tabling member printed	Lord Field of Birkenhead
uin	HL5910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The department has subsequently decided not to restart the review, as it summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department. However, we continue to monitor new research and evidence produced by external organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has recently published new data from the Family Resources Survey on household food security, giving us a better understanding of who is most at risk. We have also included new questions in the family resources survey for 2021/2 which will be published in March 2023 and further expand our evidence in this area. This underlines how seriously we take the issue of food insecurity.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of supporting claimants to manage their liabilities. Under Universal Credit, there is a co-ordinated approach to deductions from benefit, which supports claimants to manage their financial obligations. The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect vulnerable claimants by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services. We continue to aim to strike the right balance between ensuring those protections are in place and allowing claimants to retain as much of their award as possible for day-to-day needs.</p><p> </p><p>There has been no specific consideration around the merits of including food bank usage when considering claimants for an exception from deductions. However, if a claimant is struggling financially, they can ask for the amount of the following deductions to be reconsidered:</p><ul><li>Repaying benefit overpayments,</li><li>Social Fund loan; and</li><li>rent arrears.</li></ul><p> </p><p>For benefit overpayments and Social Fund loans, deductions can be reduced or deferred for a period. DWP will always try to ensure that Government debt is recovered effectively without causing undue hardship.</p><p> </p><p>For rent arrears, claimants can ask Universal Credit staff to exercise their discretion to fix rent arrears deductions at the lowest rate in legislation – 10% of the Standard Allowance. This can be done using the Journal or by phone. However, staff would not agree to remove a rent arrears deduction entirely in order to ensure a claimant is protected from eviction.</p><p> </p><p>For those repaying a New Claim Advance, a deferral of up to 3 months is available, in exceptional circumstances, which allow those claimants to temporarily receive their Universal Credit awards without advance repayments being deducted.</p><p> </p><p>We encourage anyone unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity - all DWP notifications advise how to get in touch. We seek to do as much as we are able to support claimants through the recovery of their overpayments.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 09/03/2023 12:36:43 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead