Campaigners Accuse Minister of Undermining 'Holiday Hunger Bill'
Proposed amendments could delay or indefinitely postpone payments to vulnerable children, critics argue.
A coalition of campaign groups has accused an education minister of attempting to undermine a bill designed to provide food for children during school holidays. The groups claim proposed amendments by the minister would give him the discretion to decide when payments might begin, removing guarantees for vulnerable families.
The bill is modelled on the School Holiday Food Grant scheme implemented during the pandemic, which provided qualifying families with a fortnightly payment of £20 per child. The cost of the scheme, based on school meals, would fall under the Department of Education's budget.
In April, the minister had previously warned that his department lacked the necessary funding for the scheme. He stated that legislators would be voting to cut education spending if they supported the bill as it stood. He has since introduced amendments that would allow him to determine the effective date of the payments.
Organizations including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and Save the Children argue that these amendments would leave "no guarantees about when, if ever, payments might begin." They are urging all political parties and lawmakers to reject the proposed changes and support the bill in its current form.
The education minister has cautioned that the initiative would incur an immediate annual cost of £20 million for his department, which is already facing challenges in balancing its budget. This financial concern has been a central point of contention in the debate surrounding the bill.