Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to conduct research into whether timely and accurate administration of benefits affects the level of use of food banks.

In the last five years we have made significant improvements in the service we provide and as a consequence benefits are paid faster than ever before; at the same time some food banks have reported increases in the amount of food supplies that they issue. Reasons for food bank use are complex and overlapping so it is misleading to link them to any one issue.