Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £50 million investment into breastfeeding support services has been allocated as of 9 December 2022.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme launched on 8 August 2022. We plan to distribute approximately £47.5 million to 75 local authorities participating in the programme, with the initial allocation received at the time of joining, with further payments released across three years. The remaining funding will be used for national initiatives to support local delivery, including expanding out-of-hours support available through the National Breastfeeding Helpline and developing training on perinatal mental health and breastfeeding to ensure families receive holistic support.