Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether people with no recourse to public funds will be eligible for assistance under (1) the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, and (2) the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

The eligibility rules relating to immigration status have not changed. Local authorities can and do use their judgement in assessing what support they may lawfully give those who are ineligible for public funds or housing support, on an individual basis and taking into account their specific needs and circumstances. This includes providing basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems, or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.

The £220m Holiday Activities and Food programme will be expanded across England next year. The Department for Education will work closely with local authorities as they prepare for delivery of the programme to begin at Easter. More details about the scheme, including eligibility, will be available over the coming weeks.