Scottish Parliament committee say the government is ‘in denial' about welfare reform and food bank link
- 03 Jun
A Scottish Parliament committee has said the UK government is ‘in denial' about the link between welfare reform and food bank use.
Members of the Scottish Parliament have claimed that evidence indicates that the use of food banks has increased 400% in a year. They say that welfare changes were a "significant cause" of the rise in demand.
The Scottish Parliament's welfare reform committee has taken evidence from food bank providers, which include the Trussell Trust and aid charities including Oxfam Scotland and the British Red Cross, reports Inside Housing.
The DWP has claimed that there is no evidence of a link between the introduction of welfare reforms and the use of food banks.
Michael McMahon, Labour MSP and the convener of the committee, said: "The UK government can no longer ignore the evidence that their welfare reforms are having a real impact on people's ability to feed themselves. There can be no place for this in a modern, prosperous nation, just as there should be no need for food banks. Our evidence showed some low paid workers need to access food banks. This makes it even more insulting for them to insist that people using food banks are anything other than in desperate need of help."
In May, Esther McVey, employment minister, wrote to the Scottish Government saying food bank use was increasing across a number of different countries.
She wrote: "The rise in food banks predates most of the welfare reforms this government has put in place."
What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions
Image source: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/725159
Related articles
- 08 Nov
NHS BOSS SETS OUT A CASE FOR CASH BOOST
The speech by Mr Stevens at the NHS Providers' annual conference of health managers is being made at the time when three reputable health think-thanks- the Health Foundation, the King's Fund and the...
- 09 Jun
THERESA MAY PLEDGES TO REPLACE THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1983
According to Ms May, the new bill would introduce the following:According to the Tories, the proposals were described as the biggest change to mental health treatment law in over 30 years.Ms May...
- 30 May
THE PRESENT FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF SCOTLAND IS TO PLEDGE AGAINST ANY PLANS TO PRIVATISE THE NHS
It is also expected that Sturgeon will do the following as proof of her party's commitment to fighting against further austerity:Sturgeon said this before Tuesday's manifesto launch:"While the polls...
- 17 Mar
402 MILLION POUNDS WILL BE INVESTED IN COUNCILS WITH THE GREATEST HOMELESSNESS DEMAND FROM APRIL 2017
Presently, funding is only used for homeless households and not for the prevention of homelessness in the first instance.The funding by the Department for Communities and Local Government is set to...
- 15 Mar
RULES AROUND PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE PAYMENTS MAY CHANGE ON THURSDAY
Ministers have advised chief executives of over 30 charities which claimed that people will be left without vital financial support, to restrict access to a disability benefit.The Disability Benefits...
- 06 Mar
THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN URGED BY THE BMA TO INCREASE HEALTH SPENDING BY 10 BILLION POUNDS
This increase in health spending to a proportion of GDP that matched that of the 10 leading economies across Europe could pay for at least 35,000 extra beds a day and many more GP's, according to the...
- 05 Sep
MANY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REFUGES AT RISK OF CLOSING DUE TO HOUSING BENEFIT CAP
Women who have been victims of domestic violence as well as their children are at risk of falling into the hands of their violent partners if the government caps housing benefit in the social sector...
- 03 Sep
Data on disability benefits refused by DWP
DWP officials have refused a second request for basic information on disability benefits using the “Section 22” exemption they used previously, reports The Independent.The Department had been...
- 02 Sep
UN to investigate how welfare reforms will affect disability rights
A disability charity in Scotland has said it’s been contacted by the UN’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of an inquiry into Britain’s treatment of people with...
- 01 Sep
Benefit cuts affecting 48,500 families in Liverpool
Analysis from Liverpool City Council has found that around 48,500 households are likely to lose their benefits due to new government reforms, reports the Liverpool Echo. Councillor Jane Corbett has...
How to Fund Housing Support and Social Care Services Good clear delivery of some complicated information. Jaqui Smith - Young Womens Housing Project
"Michael Patterson's #supportedhousing #blog: #ValueGeneration, a new way of funding & commissioning service for peo… https://t.co/UrygcMyTZG" read more
"The latest Invest In Prevention! https://t.co/5Yvvpe1ej4 Thanks to @BristolHealthP @wookat1983 @tempo_tweets #throwbackthursday #ukhousing" read more
