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Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past 12 months for which data are available, how much money was (1) credited to NHS Healthy Start cards, (2) used by entitled beneficiaries within the period of time they have available to spend that money on valid items, and (3) not used.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Healthy Start scheme, pregnant women and children aged under four years old and over one years old, each receive £4.25 every week, and children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, milk and infant formula. The money is loaded onto a pre-paid payment card. Beneficiaries are not required to spend the money each week and it can be accumulated and put towards more expensive Healthy Start items, such as infant formula. The legislation states that only after 16 consecutive weeks of the pre-paid payment card not being used can the card be cancelled.

This flexibility in how and when the money can be used means that the total amount spent in any one month can exceed the amount added in that month, if beneficiaries have accumulated funds in previous months. The following table shows the latest data for how much was added onto Healthy Start cards and spent, per month, during 2023:

Month

Total added

Total spent

January

£7,859,474.75

£8,353,475.29

February

£7,435,669.76

£7,320,424.91

March

£10,626,362.86

£8,971,140.57

April

£11,665,242.36

£10,012,024.12

May

£8,137,362.11

£8,218,389.00

June

£7,805,625.26

£7,873,571.30

July

£9,171,390.95

£8,021,060.44

August

£8,535,237.75

£7,985,449.52

September

£7,549,456.50

£7,887,565.69

October

£8,289,498.25

£7,715,832.34

November

£7,954,638.13

£7,131,207.48

December

£7,750,004.57

£7,013,663.46

This flexibility also means that from month to month some of the money may remain on the payment cards without being used. During 2023 the average outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards was £12.6 million. This equates to around £37 per household. If a card was unused for 16 weeks as permitted in the legislation, it would accumulate £68 for a pregnant woman or a family with a child over one and under four, or £136 for a family with twins under one years old. The average balance of £37 per household is less than 16 weeks’ entitlement, although these are aggregate figures and there will be variation across households. The following table shows the total outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards, per month, during 2023:

Month

Total outstanding balance

January

£11,876,537.16

February

£11,456,639.28

March

£11,444,727.51

April

£12,465,403.05

May

£12,238,144.26

June

£12,123,823.55

July

£12,777,017.89

August

£13,193,581.26

September

£13,677,365.89

October

£13,066,802.63

November

£13,418,231.23

December

£13,850,960.26


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what happens to any money credited to NHS Healthy Start cards that is not used by entitled beneficiaries within the period of time they have available to spend that money on valid items.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Healthy Start scheme, pregnant women and children aged under four years old and over one years old, each receive £4.25 every week, and children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen or tinned fruits and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, milk and infant formula. The money is loaded onto a pre-paid payment card. Beneficiaries are not required to spend the money each week and it can be accumulated and put towards more expensive Healthy Start items, such as infant formula. The legislation states that only after 16 consecutive weeks of the pre-paid payment card not being used can the card be cancelled.

This flexibility in how and when the money can be used means that the total amount spent in any one month can exceed the amount added in that month, if beneficiaries have accumulated funds in previous months. The following table shows the latest data for how much was added onto Healthy Start cards and spent, per month, during 2023:

Month

Total added

Total spent

January

£7,859,474.75

£8,353,475.29

February

£7,435,669.76

£7,320,424.91

March

£10,626,362.86

£8,971,140.57

April

£11,665,242.36

£10,012,024.12

May

£8,137,362.11

£8,218,389.00

June

£7,805,625.26

£7,873,571.30

July

£9,171,390.95

£8,021,060.44

August

£8,535,237.75

£7,985,449.52

September

£7,549,456.50

£7,887,565.69

October

£8,289,498.25

£7,715,832.34

November

£7,954,638.13

£7,131,207.48

December

£7,750,004.57

£7,013,663.46

This flexibility also means that from month to month some of the money may remain on the payment cards without being used. During 2023 the average outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards was £12.6 million. This equates to around £37 per household. If a card was unused for 16 weeks as permitted in the legislation, it would accumulate £68 for a pregnant woman or a family with a child over one and under four, or £136 for a family with twins under one years old. The average balance of £37 per household is less than 16 weeks’ entitlement, although these are aggregate figures and there will be variation across households. The following table shows the total outstanding balance across all Healthy Start cards, per month, during 2023:

Month

Total outstanding balance

January

£11,876,537.16

February

£11,456,639.28

March

£11,444,727.51

April

£12,465,403.05

May

£12,238,144.26

June

£12,123,823.55

July

£12,777,017.89

August

£13,193,581.26

September

£13,677,365.89

October

£13,066,802.63

November

£13,418,231.23

December

£13,850,960.26


Written Question
Blood: Contamination
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions they have made to support the surviving adult children of a parent who died as a result of contamination with infected blood.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Infected Blood Support Schemes in the United Kingdom offer certain discretionary payments following the death of a registered beneficiary, some of which may be available to support surviving adult children, for example, estates of the bereaved can apply for a £10,000 one-off bereavement payment to help with the immediate costs associated with the loss of a loved one.


Written Question
Blood: Contamination
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Infected Blood Inquiry, how many people were infected by contaminated blood; how many of those died as a consequence; and how many are now eligible for interim compensation payments under the Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Infected Blood Inquiry’s terms of reference include the task to “ascertain, as far as practicable, the likely numbers of people who have been infected (directly or indirectly) in consequence of: a) the use of infected blood; and b) the use of infected blood products”.

To this end, the Inquiry’s Statistical Expert Group has published two reports. The first, published in September 2022, contains estimated numbers of people infected by blood and blood products as well as estimated numbers of those people who subsequently died; however, this excludes those with Hepatitis B and secondary infections. The second supplementary report, published in July 2023, updates the Committee’s estimates of the numbers of people who died because of their infection. Due to its size, a copy of the first report has been placed in the Library. A copy of the second report is attached.

In July, the Inquiry published a note on interim compensation payments made on behalf of the Government by the four national Infected Blood Support Schemes. The note shows the number of people registered and payments made as of July 2023; however, information on the numbers of eligible people is not available. A copy of the note is attached.


Written Question
England Infected Blood Support Scheme
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who were infected with contaminated blood (1) are eligible for, and (2) have received, the £100,000 interim compensation payment under the Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Infected Blood Inquiry’s terms of reference include the task to “ascertain, as far as practicable, the likely numbers of people who have been infected (directly or indirectly) in consequence of: a) the use of infected blood; and b) the use of infected blood products”.

To this end, the Inquiry’s Statistical Expert Group has published two reports. The first, published in September 2022, contains estimated numbers of people infected by blood and blood products as well as estimated numbers of those people who subsequently died; however, this excludes those with Hepatitis B and secondary infections. The second supplementary report, published in July 2023, updates the Committee’s estimates of the numbers of people who died because of their infection. Due to its size, a copy of the first report has been placed in the Library. A copy of the second report is attached.

In July, the Inquiry published a note on interim compensation payments made on behalf of the Government by the four national Infected Blood Support Schemes. The note shows the number of people registered and payments made as of July 2023; however, information on the numbers of eligible people is not available. A copy of the note is attached.


Written Question
Blood: Contamination
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals who died as a consequence of infection from contaminated blood were (1) refused compensation payments, and (2) awaiting compensation payments granted, under the Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The various Infected Blood Support Schemes in the United Kingdom have provided ex gratia support payments rather than compensation. Interim compensation payments were made by the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme administered on behalf of the Government by the administrators of the UK infected blood support schemes (and in Scotland by the Scottish Ministers in conjunction with the administrators of the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme).

The information requested concerning support scheme payments is not available.


Written Question
Blood: Contamination
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals have died as a consequence of infection from contaminated blood who were receiving compensation payments under the Infected Blood Support Scheme, and what was the range of such payments.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The various Infected Blood Support Schemes in the United Kingdom have provided ex gratia support payments rather than compensation. Interim compensation payments were made by the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme administered on behalf of the Government by the administrators of the UK infected blood support schemes (and in Scotland by the Scottish Ministers in conjunction with the administrators of the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme).

The information requested concerning support scheme payments is not available.


Written Question
Blood: Contamination
Monday 16th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals who are known to have been infected with contaminated blood have died without having received any compensation payment under the Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The various Infected Blood Support Schemes in the United Kingdom have provided ex gratia support payments rather than compensation. Interim compensation payments were made by the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme administered on behalf of the Government by the administrators of the UK infected blood support schemes (and in Scotland by the Scottish Ministers in conjunction with the administrators of the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme).

The information requested concerning support scheme payments is not available.


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Tuesday 25th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide, in the form of a table, the number of families who they forecast will take up the Healthy Start Scheme in the current year, alongside the figures for the previous five years.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have no current plans to make a forecast of the number of families who will take up the Healthy Start scheme in the current year. Forecast data for the previous five years is not available.

The following table shows the number of beneficiaries on the Healthy Start scheme in the previous five years.

Month and year

Number of beneficiaries on the scheme

April 2018

320,613

April 2019

289,160

April 2020

274,521

April 2021

337,204

April 2022

315,851


Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Tuesday 25th April 2023

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many families are forecast to take up the Healthy Start Scheme in the current year, and (2) how many took it up in the previous five years.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have no current plans to make a forecast of the number of families who will take up the Healthy Start scheme in the current year. Forecast data for the previous five years is not available.

The following table shows the number of beneficiaries on the Healthy Start scheme in the previous five years.

Month and year

Number of beneficiaries on the scheme

April 2018

320,613

April 2019

289,160

April 2020

274,521

April 2021

337,204

April 2022

315,851