House of Commons · Westminster Hall
23 May 2023 · 3 other contributors · 10,015 words
Opened by Andrew Western Lab Stretford and Urmston
Responding minister: Neil O'Brien
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Andrew Western raised concerns about cost of living: healthy start scheme — [derek twigg in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Increase Healthy Start payments to reflect the 17% rise in costs over the last two years, providing less than £1 per child per week for most recipients. This would effectively bring parity with Scotland's Best Start Foods scheme and address urgent needs amidst the cost of living crisis.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Parents are resorting to stealing baby formula or diluting it with other ingredients due to high costs. An unregulated black market for second-hand formula has emerged, posing safety risks. Food banks report steep increases in parents seeking support. Healthy Start payments have been frozen for two years and do not cover current costs of healthy food or baby formula. Since April 2021, inflation has risen by 17%, making the existing payments insufficient.
She highlighted the ongoing issue of high infant formula costs and criticized the government for inadequate response despite evidence. She mentioned families resorting to desperate measures like stealing from shops or seeking help on social media, emphasizing the urgent need for action due to the impact on babies' development. Thewliss cited statistics on inflation rates and price increases in infant formula and discussed issues with bottle safety when parents cannot afford fresh supplies. She also raised concerns about unregulated marketing practices by formula companies that drive up prices. Ms Alison Thewliss intervened to ask why the Healthy Start grant was excluded from inflationary upratings, pressing for an explanation from the Minister. Asked the Minister to account for why the uptake of Best Start Foods in Scotland is at 88%, compared to lower figures elsewhere.
Mr Andrew Gwynne praised the debate's contributors, highlighting the Northern Ireland perspective of Jim Shannon and the detailed insights from Alison Thewliss. He emphasised the importance of Healthy Start in providing nutritional support to low-income families during pregnancy and early childhood. However, he raised concerns about the scheme's value not keeping up with inflationary price rises, particularly for infant formula which has increased by 22% since 2021. Additionally, Mr Gwynne highlighted that only 63% of eligible families are currently taking advantage of the Healthy Start scheme, despite a target of 75%. He called on the Minister to reassess the scheme's value and address the issue of low uptake.
Jim Shannon praised the Healthy Start scheme, noting its importance in Northern Ireland and its eligibility for 13,500 households. He highlighted the impact of poverty on families and children, with 110,000 children living in poverty in Northern Ireland. He also mentioned the rise in food bank usage by 50% and asked for an extension to the Healthy Start scheme's eligibility criteria.
Government Response
Neil O'BrienIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Andrew Western) for securing this debate and to the other Members who have participated. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a global impact, leading to increased food costs and higher energy prices. In response, the Government have implemented several measures including the energy price guarantee, uprating benefit rates by 10.1%, and providing an additional £1 billion funding for the household support fund. For the Healthy Start scheme, which supports lower-income families through financial assistance towards nutritious foods and vitamins, we increased the value of Healthy Start by 37% in April 2021 to £4.25 per week. The scheme was also digitised to increase uptake and usability, resulting in more than 500,000 successful applications since September 2021, with over 64% of eligible families now participating. The Government continue to promote the Healthy Start scheme through various channels and review materials regularly to ensure they reach those who need support most. Additionally, other initiatives such as the healthy child programme and free school meals are in place to further assist families.