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Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Sandra Osborne (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 8 December 2014 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Topical Questions

Question

The South Ayrshire food bank is threatened with closure if it cannot find funding for premises for food

storage and distribution by Christmas. Given today’s report on food banks, and given that the people involved are having to do this incredibly important work for the poorest in our society thanks to this Government’s nasty welfare policies, what practical support can the Government provide to those charities to support their important work?

Answer

The Government give huge support to charities up and down the country. I do not know the specific case that the hon. Lady has mentioned, but if she wants to drop me a note about it, I would be happy to look into it and see whether there is anything more we can do to help. I have to say, though, that the Opposition go on and on about what we are doing with welfare and how it has somehow driven everybody into this situation, but in Germany 1.5 million people a week go to food banks. It has nothing to do with our welfare reforms, and Germany is a wealthier country. Food banks have grown around the world, but the latest figures from the OECD show that, in the category of the “difficulty to afford food”, the UK is almost alone in having gone down from the position that we inherited from the last Government. This Government are doing more to help poor people to get by and to get jobs, rather than leaving them parked on unemployment benefit like the last Government did.

Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
589 c639 
Session
2014-15
Oral question type
1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Food banks
Link
View this Topical question on www.publications.parliament.uk