To ask the Minister for Communities how the people who are relying on the regular food hampers from her Department will be supported when provision ends in June 2020; and, if her Department plans to continue with provision of hampers, where will funding come from to meet ongoing cost.

I am aware that a number of people across the community are currently relying on regular food hampers from my Department and are likely to continue to require support when present provision ends in June 2020.

In light of this, it has been decided that the Department’s food parcel programme should be extended until 31st July 2020 for people who have been asked to shield by their GPs and cannot otherwise get food. Those who are not medically shielding, but may still need food help, are now being signposted to alternative forms of food support in the community.

Those no longer eligible are being signposted to other means of food support and the Department is now investing up to £875,000 in other forms of food assistance. This includes the Department working with Fareshare to deliver increased food supplies to community providers.

I believe that these responses, when taken together with the Social Supermarket wrap around model and the work of local Foodbanks, have the potential to play an important role in the food poverty response in the medium to long term. The learning, intelligence and data being gathered as a result of the Food Parcel programme will also prove invaluable in this regard and in ongoing and future policy development.