Sunday, July 4, 2010

UK mulling food vouchers distribution

The unemployed whose benefits have been cut off by government will receive food vouchers by charities supported by the government to make up for the cuts in welfare spending.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, has given his department's executive arm, JobCentre Plus the go-ahead to distribute tickets that can be traded for food parcels.

The Christian charity, Trussell Trust will be in charge of giving out the donated parcels of foodstuffs through its 65 food banks across the country.

This comes as Duncan Smith's department has insisted the plan aims to encourage voluntary charity efforts rather than shirking the responsibility for the poor who are no longer supported by the welfare state to the private institutions.

According to the officials, the food vouchers program will hopefully lead to JobCentre Plus refer its poor clients to locally-based charities for aid.

The new scheme follows a revision of a former Labour policy by Duncan Smith which was designed to make sure JobCentre Plus does not act as a charity that hands out vouchers to people.

The minister reportedly said "Each JobCentre could point people to charities in the areas that are doing these sorts of schemes. That is what we would be looking at".

This is while, director of the Trussell Trust, Chris Mould said more and more of those who go there for help are "on the edge" as they have been deprived of a crisis loan or their welfare benefits in the reassessment process of their entitlement to such rights by the government.

According to food banks staff one reason behind the surge of claimants to charities like Trussell Trust is that the government suspends a person's benefits while his financial situation is being reviewed.

Meanwhile, Department of Work and Pensions has officially announced that it is revising the former regulations banning JobCentre Plus from handing out vouchers.

AMR/HE

No comments:

Post a Comment