Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Paragraph: 60
Food insecurity driven by insufficient income, exacerbated by global events and no agreed definition.
Conclusion
Although there is no agreed definition of food insecurity, it is clear that the difficulties people experience in providing sufficient food for their families are the result of a range of issues affecting household budgets—there is no lack of available food, but there is often insufficient income to pay for it. This hardship has been exacerbated by covid-19 and other global events such as the war in Ukraine.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the conclusion by describing its existing and upcoming welfare spending increases, tax cuts, and cost-of-living payments designed to support household incomes. It also outlines its internationally recognised definition of food security.
Paragraph Reference:
60
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
51. The UK Government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to tackling poverty and supporting people on lower incomes. 52. We will spend around £276 billion through the welfare system in 2023/24, including around £124 billion on people of working age and children, and around £153 billion on pensioners. Of this, around £79 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). 53. Following on from a 10.1% increase to benefit rates and State Pensions in April 2023, and subject to Parliamentary approval, working age benefits will rise by 6.7% this April 2024 in line with inflation. The Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”. 54. To support those in work, the main rate of Class 1 employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) was cut from 12% to 10% from 6 January 2024, and further from 10% to 8% from 6 April 2024, which has provided a tax cut for 27 million working people. 55. On 1 April 2024, the UK Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW. 56. The UK Government recognises the pressures people have been facing as a result of cost of living increases and has acted, providing substantial support across the UK as well as target support to those most in need. Taken together, support to households to help with the high cost of living is worth £104 billion over 2022–23 to 2024–25. This support has included delivering Cost of Living Payments of up to £900 to over 8 million households across the UK on eligible means-tested benefits this financial year. Over 6 million people across the UK on eligible ’extra-costs’ disability benefits have received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, to help with the additional costs they face, while more than eight million pensioner households across the UK have received a £300 Cost of Living Payment paid as a top up to the winter fuel payment. 57. The UK Government takes the issue of food security seriously. We use the internationally recognised definition of food security as the measure of whether households have sufficient food to facilitate active and healthy lifestyles. Low and very low food security households are considered to be “food insecure.” This can include the household reducing the quality, variety, and desirability of their diets, the eating patterns of one or more household members being disrupted, food intake being reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.