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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the barriers that prevent supermarkets from offering financial top-ups, similar to those offered under the previous paper voucher system, to the NHS Healthy Start scheme under the current digital prepaid card system; and what action they are taking to...
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the barriers that prevent supermarkets from offering financial top-ups, similar to those offered under the previous paper voucher system, to the NHS Healthy Start scheme under the current digital prepaid card system; and what action they are taking to...
In August 2026, the Healthy Start Scheme supported over 347,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Healthy Start figures are published on the Healthy Start website. To improve uptake, the NHS Business Services Authority promotes the Healthy Start Scheme through its digital channels, online, and via traditional advertising opportunities, event exhibits, and through working with stakeholders and the media.
In relation to the number of eligible individuals who are not yet claiming the Healthy Start Scheme, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 20 April 2026 in response to Question 124608, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.
We do not hold data on the proportion of families eligible to participate in the Healthy Start Scheme. As of 26 March 2026, there were 354,989 people on the digital scheme across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The data is based on individual people and is not the same as the number of families or households as there could be multiple beneficiaries living within one household.
The data includes the number of people on the digital scheme, formerly entitled beneficiaries, who have been accepted onto the scheme through an online application and issued a prepaid card at a specific point in time. This includes the number of children under the age of four years old and the number of pregnancies over ten weeks.
We continue to work with retailers on ways they can support the Healthy Start scheme, including on technical solutions to provide top-ups.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people enrolled in the NHS Healthy Start Scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; and what steps they are taking to improve take-up of the Healthy Start Scheme.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people enrolled in the NHS Healthy Start Scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; and what steps they are taking to improve take-up of the Healthy Start Scheme.
In August 2026, the Healthy Start Scheme supported over 347,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Healthy Start figures are published on the Healthy Start website. To improve uptake, the NHS Business Services Authority promotes the Healthy Start Scheme through its digital channels, online, and via traditional advertising opportunities, event exhibits, and through working with stakeholders and the media.
In relation to the number of eligible individuals who are not yet claiming the Healthy Start Scheme, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 20 April 2026 in response to Question 124608, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.
We do not hold data on the proportion of families eligible to participate in the Healthy Start Scheme. As of 26 March 2026, there were 354,989 people on the digital scheme across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The data is based on individual people and is not the same as the number of families or households as there could be multiple beneficiaries living within one household.
The data includes the number of people on the digital scheme, formerly entitled beneficiaries, who have been accepted onto the scheme through an online application and issued a prepaid card at a specific point in time. This includes the number of children under the age of four years old and the number of pregnancies over ten weeks.
We continue to work with retailers on ways they can support the Healthy Start scheme, including on technical solutions to provide top-ups.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of eligible individuals who are not yet claiming the NHS Healthy Start Scheme.
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of eligible individuals who are not yet claiming the NHS Healthy Start Scheme.
In August 2026, the Healthy Start Scheme supported over 347,000 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Healthy Start figures are published on the Healthy Start website. To improve uptake, the NHS Business Services Authority promotes the Healthy Start Scheme through its digital channels, online, and via traditional advertising opportunities, event exhibits, and through working with stakeholders and the media.
In relation to the number of eligible individuals who are not yet claiming the Healthy Start Scheme, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 20 April 2026 in response to Question 124608, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.
We do not hold data on the proportion of families eligible to participate in the Healthy Start Scheme. As of 26 March 2026, there were 354,989 people on the digital scheme across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The data is based on individual people and is not the same as the number of families or households as there could be multiple beneficiaries living within one household.
The data includes the number of people on the digital scheme, formerly entitled beneficiaries, who have been accepted onto the scheme through an online application and issued a prepaid card at a specific point in time. This includes the number of children under the age of four years old and the number of pregnancies over ten weeks.
We continue to work with retailers on ways they can support the Healthy Start scheme, including on technical solutions to provide top-ups.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the availability and accessibility of Healthy Start vouchers for people within the immigration and asylum systems.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the availability and accessibility of Healthy Start vouchers for people within the immigration and asylum systems.
The Home Office provides support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute in order to comply with its legal obligations. The support package provided usually consists of accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to meet other essential living needs.
Additional financial support is also available to pregnant women and children under the age of 4 for the purposes of buying healthy food. Pregnant women and young children aged between 1 and 4 each receive an additional £5.25 per week. Babies under 1 each receive an additional £9.50 per week.
These payments were amended in 2023 to align with the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Healthy Start’ payments, with an additional allowance added onto this to allow for the purchase of vitamins, which are provided separately as part of the Healthy Start scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of eligible households are not currently in receipt of the Healthy Start scheme in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of eligible households are not currently in receipt of the Healthy Start scheme in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
The Department is currently considering options on whether Healthy Start will be made available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis, and further information will be available in due course.
We do not hold data on the percentage of eligible households who are not currently in receipt of Health Start in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Healthy Start will be available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Healthy Start will be available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis.
The Department is currently considering options on whether Healthy Start will be made available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis, and further information will be available in due course.
We do not hold data on the percentage of eligible households who are not currently in receipt of Health Start in the Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the Healthy Start scheme eligibility criteria to include all families on Universal Credit, in the context of recent expansions to free school meal eligibility.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the Healthy Start scheme eligibility criteria to include all families on Universal Credit, in the context of recent expansions to free school meal eligibility.
There are currently no plans to expand the eligibility of the Healthy Start Scheme to all families on Universal Credit. The Healthy Start prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting the terms and conditions, therefore the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a Healthy Start prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered automatic enrolment into the Healthy Start scheme for eligible families, in the context of ensuring maximum levels of take-up.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered automatic enrolment into the Healthy Start scheme for eligible families, in the context of ensuring maximum levels of take-up.
There are currently no plans to expand the eligibility of the Healthy Start Scheme to all families on Universal Credit. The Healthy Start prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting the terms and conditions, therefore the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a Healthy Start prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on writing to households who are eligible but not registered for the NHS Healthy Start programme; and what his Department's planned timeline is for completing that communication.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on writing to households who are eligible but not registered for the NHS Healthy Start programme; and what his Department's planned timeline is for completing that communication.
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department, has created a public toolkit specifically for retailers, inclusive of independent shopkeepers and convenience store staff, to help them promote the scheme to shoppers.
The toolkit is regularly updated and contains a range of materials, including point of sale stickers, posters, banners, digital screens, and social media content featuring “shop with your NHS Healthy Start card here” messaging, and has so far received more than 2,000 views. Retailers can also find out more about the scheme and how it works on the NHSBSA website, at the following link:
Retailers can also sign up for regular stakeholder newsletters.
The Department continues to work with the NHSBSA on ways to encourage those eligible to apply for the Healthy Start Scheme to apply.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS Business Services Authority is taking to ensure independent shopkeepers and convenience store staff (a) are aware of NHS Healthy Start cards and (b) enable all eligible families to use their cards in these stores.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS Business Services Authority is taking to ensure independent shopkeepers and convenience store staff (a) are aware of NHS Healthy Start cards and (b) enable all eligible families to use their cards in these stores.
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), who delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department, has created a public toolkit specifically for retailers, inclusive of independent shopkeepers and convenience store staff, to help them promote the scheme to shoppers.
The toolkit is regularly updated and contains a range of materials, including point of sale stickers, posters, banners, digital screens, and social media content featuring “shop with your NHS Healthy Start card here” messaging, and has so far received more than 2,000 views. Retailers can also find out more about the scheme and how it works on the NHSBSA website, at the following link:
Retailers can also sign up for regular stakeholder newsletters.
The Department continues to work with the NHSBSA on ways to encourage those eligible to apply for the Healthy Start Scheme to apply.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of eligible households are not currently in receipt of Health Start in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of eligible households are not currently in receipt of Health Start in Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if Healthy Start will be made available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if Healthy Start will be made available to households subject to no recourse to public funds on a permanent basis.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of revising the eligibility criteria for NHS Healthy Start cards.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of revising the eligibility criteria for NHS Healthy Start cards.
The Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority on ways to encourage those eligible to apply for the Healthy Start Scheme to apply.
The Department keeps the eligibility criteria for the Healthy Start Scheme under continuous review. There are no current plans to change the eligibility for the scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS Business Services Authority will begin writing proactively to eligible families about their NHS Healthy Start entitlement, encouraging them to apply and offering them support with the application process.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS Business Services Authority will begin writing proactively to eligible families about their NHS Healthy Start entitlement, encouraging them to apply and offering them support with the application process.
The Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority on ways to encourage those eligible to apply for the Healthy Start Scheme to apply.
The Department keeps the eligibility criteria for the Healthy Start Scheme under continuous review. There are no current plans to change the eligibility for the scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of families are eligible to participate in the Healthy Start scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of families are eligible to participate in the Healthy Start scheme.
We do not hold data on the proportion of families eligible to participate in the Healthy Start Scheme. As of 26 March 2026, there were 354,989 people on the digital scheme across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The data is based on individual people and is not the same as the number of families or households as there could be multiple beneficiaries living within one household.
The data includes the number of people on the digital scheme, formerly entitled beneficiaries, who have been accepted onto the scheme through an online application and issued a prepaid card at a specific point in time. This includes the number of children under the age of four years old and the number of pregnancies over ten weeks.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake figures were for the Healthy Start scheme in the latest period for which data is available.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake figures were for the Healthy Start scheme in the latest period for which data is available.
We do not hold data on the proportion of families eligible to participate in the Healthy Start Scheme. As of 26 March 2026, there were 354,989 people on the digital scheme across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The data is based on individual people and is not the same as the number of families or households as there could be multiple beneficiaries living within one household.
The data includes the number of people on the digital scheme, formerly entitled beneficiaries, who have been accepted onto the scheme through an online application and issued a prepaid card at a specific point in time. This includes the number of children under the age of four years old and the number of pregnancies over ten weeks.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department has assessed the potential merits of extending Healthy Start eligibility to include working parents in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department has assessed the potential merits of extending Healthy Start eligibility to include working parents in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay.
The Healthy Start Scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of extending Healthy Start eligibility to include working parents in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay. This is because Statutory Paternity Pay is not a means tested benefit and is available to individuals in work, including those on higher incomes.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed the income thresholds for the Healthy Start scheme, and whether it will conduct an updated review given concerns that thresholds have not been revised for nearly a decade and may no longer reflect current...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed the income thresholds for the Healthy Start scheme, and whether it will conduct an updated review given concerns that thresholds have not been revised for nearly a decade and may no longer reflect current...
The Government has taken action to strengthen support through Healthy Start. From April 2026, an increase to the weekly payments has been implemented, which means pregnant women and children aged under four years old and over one years old each receive £4.65 every week, and children under one years old each receive £9.30.
The income-related eligibility criteria for the Healthy Start scheme are not set as standalone cash thresholds. Eligibility is linked to receipt of certain income-related benefits, including Universal Credit, which act as passporting mechanisms to ensure support is targeted at families on the lowest incomes. Eligibility criteria for the scheme are kept under continuous review.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the outcome of the consultation of the extension of Healthy Start to children from families with no recourse to public funds; and whether they have set a timeline for making that extension a statutory scheme.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the outcome of the consultation of the extension of Healthy Start to children from families with no recourse to public funds; and whether they have set a timeline for making that extension a statutory scheme.
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. The Department is currently considering options on this issue, and further information will be available in due course.