Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department takes steps to support breastfeeding (a) support groups and (b) charities in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

The Government’s vision, set out in The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, is that every parent and carer has access to high quality infant feeding services in their local area.

Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we are investing £50 million into infant feeding services. This is enabling participating local authorities, including Haringey, to design and deliver a blended offer to ensure all mothers can meet their breastfeeding goals. The investment is being used to increase the range of advice and support available, including peer support. Local authorities are working with the voluntary sector to deliver services.

We are also using programme investment to increase the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline, managed by the Breastfeeding Network. In March 2024, we launched a trial of extended helpline opening hours, so that support and advice is available at any time of the day or night, every day of the year.