Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of foodbank use by (a) working age and (b) pension age people in Poole constituency.

Statistics on food bank use by working-age and pension-age people are published annually in the Households below average income statistics report. The most recent publication is available here: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK

National and England regional breakdowns should be calculated using three-year rolling aver-ages via Stat-Xplore. Due to small sample sizes, it is not possible to produce estimates of food bank use at the constituency level, including for Poole.

We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. To inform this work, DWP officials have engaged with a range of organisations to better understand the complex food support landscape.

To further support struggling households, we are providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026, enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food.

Starting from 1 April 2026, we have announced a further £842 million a year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform crisis support with the new Crisis and Resilience Fund, supporting our wider mission to reduce child poverty by reducing dependence on food parcels, preventing homelessness and making sure people can access urgent support when they need it.