Rising scandal of food poverty and growth of Foodbanks
Britain is the seventh richest nation in the world yet we face a growing epidemic of hidden hunger, particularly in children. An Asda survey earlier this year found that one in four mothers put something back at the supermarket checkout as they struggle to cope with higher food prices and falling wages. One in five mothers regularly miss meals to prioritise feeding their children. This situation is likely to get worse when the tax credit cuts to families working part-time come into force in April; 200,000 families risk losing £74 a week.
The Tory-led Government are out of touch with families feeling the squeeze from higher food prices. The result is a massive growth in families forced to turn to foodbanks for help. Last year, 60,000 people relied on food handouts from the foodbank charity the Trussell Trust, including 20,000 children, and one new foodbank opened every week. This year, they predict they will feed 130,000 people. Another leading food charity, FareShare, feeds over 35,000 people a day through working with the food industry to redistribute unsold or surplus food.
I welcomed the setting up of South Ayrshire Foodbank in Prestwick earlier this year – although ‘welcomed’ is hardly the right word in these circumstances. This month they have launched a new ‘hub’ for the Foodbank based in Southside Parish Church Hall in Girvan’s Henrietta Street. I would love to think these initiatives would be short term but the reality is demand is growing from families facing benefits delays, struggling with debt and unemployment. As the Welfare Reform cuts kick in the situation is likely to become even worse. When it comes to food poverty, we are most certainly not “all in it together”.
Scottish Affairs Select Committee take evidence on the likely impact of separation
The UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee is in the process of inquiring into the likely impact of Scotland opting to be a separate state. The committee are coming up with extremely valuable evidence from expert witnesses. The Inquiry is in two parts – first on the mechanics of the referendum and second on unanswered question about the impact on Defence and the Economy.
Other Select Committees including my own Defence Committee are also examining the impact of Scottish Separation and we are all finding that there are countless unanswered questions – questions which the SNP Scottish Government haven’t properly considered.
Work Capability Assessment (WCA)
I have great concerns about how Atos Healthcare (the firm carrying out ‘fit for work’ assessments) and the WCA is operating both locally and nationally. There are many areas of concern but research published this month by charity Rethink Mental Health highlights how people with mental health issues are being put at a serious disadvantage. Their survey of 1000 GPs found that 1 in 5 GPs thought suicidal thoughts had increased as a result of facing WCA; and 6 out of every 10 said Jobcentre Plus (via Atos Healthcare) were not making enough use of their medical knowledge of their patients facing WCA.
Government pushing for Regionalised Pay
Since George Osborne’s Autumn Statement last November, he and other ministers have been pursuing their aim that, as Mr Osborne put it ‘the public sector pay can be more responsive to local labour markets’ The Tory led Government are due to report to Parliament on how they could change arrangements in time for the 2013-14 pay settlement.
Bringing in regional pay would mean two public sector workers with the same skills and experience doing the same job, will be paid differently just because of where they happen to live and work. Regionalising will also make it harder to ensure that men and women get equal pay for equal work by making it harder to compare salaries for comparable work.
In my constituency of Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock, one in every four people in employment (10,200) works in the public sector. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that private businesses are struggling because public sector workers are being paid too much. The real problem facing local businesses is the double dip recession and the problems with bank lending.
Sandra Osborne
Britain is the seventh richest nation in the world yet we face a growing epidemic of hidden hunger, particularly in children. An Asda survey earlier this year found that one in four mothers put something back at the supermarket checkout as they struggle to cope with higher food prices and falling wages. One in five mothers regularly miss meals to prioritise feeding their children. This situation is likely to get worse when the tax credit cuts to families working part-time come into force in April; 200,000 families risk losing £74 a week.
The Tory-led Government are out of touch with families feeling the squeeze from higher food prices. The result is a massive growth in families forced to turn to foodbanks for help. Last year, 60,000 people relied on food handouts from the foodbank charity the Trussell Trust, including 20,000 children, and one new foodbank opened every week. This year, they predict they will feed 130,000 people. Another leading food charity, FareShare, feeds over 35,000 people a day through working with the food industry to redistribute unsold or surplus food.
I welcomed the setting up of South Ayrshire Foodbank in Prestwick earlier this year – although ‘welcomed’ is hardly the right word in these circumstances. This month they have launched a new ‘hub’ for the Foodbank based in Southside Parish Church Hall in Girvan’s Henrietta Street. I would love to think these initiatives would be short term but the reality is demand is growing from families facing benefits delays, struggling with debt and unemployment. As the Welfare Reform cuts kick in the situation is likely to become even worse. When it comes to food poverty, we are most certainly not “all in it together”.
Scottish Affairs Select Committee take evidence on the likely impact of separation
The UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee is in the process of inquiring into the likely impact of Scotland opting to be a separate state. The committee are coming up with extremely valuable evidence from expert witnesses. The Inquiry is in two parts – first on the mechanics of the referendum and second on unanswered question about the impact on Defence and the Economy.
Other Select Committees including my own Defence Committee are also examining the impact of Scottish Separation and we are all finding that there are countless unanswered questions – questions which the SNP Scottish Government haven’t properly considered.
Work Capability Assessment (WCA)
I have great concerns about how Atos Healthcare (the firm carrying out ‘fit for work’ assessments) and the WCA is operating both locally and nationally. There are many areas of concern but research published this month by charity Rethink Mental Health highlights how people with mental health issues are being put at a serious disadvantage. Their survey of 1000 GPs found that 1 in 5 GPs thought suicidal thoughts had increased as a result of facing WCA; and 6 out of every 10 said Jobcentre Plus (via Atos Healthcare) were not making enough use of their medical knowledge of their patients facing WCA.
Government pushing for Regionalised Pay
Since George Osborne’s Autumn Statement last November, he and other ministers have been pursuing their aim that, as Mr Osborne put it ‘the public sector pay can be more responsive to local labour markets’ The Tory led Government are due to report to Parliament on how they could change arrangements in time for the 2013-14 pay settlement.
Bringing in regional pay would mean two public sector workers with the same skills and experience doing the same job, will be paid differently just because of where they happen to live and work. Regionalising will also make it harder to ensure that men and women get equal pay for equal work by making it harder to compare salaries for comparable work.
In my constituency of Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock, one in every four people in employment (10,200) works in the public sector. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that private businesses are struggling because public sector workers are being paid too much. The real problem facing local businesses is the double dip recession and the problems with bank lending.
Sandra Osborne