(Jarrow) (Lab):...We are
hearing reports that food prices are so high and wages so low
that firefighters, nurses, teachers and many others are now
reliant on food banks. Yesterday in Parliament, the National Education
Union told us that support staff are using food
banks set up in their schools. Teaching assistants are still
trying to feed students from their own pocket, while they
themselves are being forced to use food banks to put food on the
table in their cold homes. One million children living in poverty
do not even get a free school meal. No child should go hungry; no
child should be left behind. The nationwide figure that 28% of
children live in poverty is appalling. In my constituency of
Jarrow, that rises to 39%. That is a horrifying statistic, but we
must not forget that behind all these stats is the face of a
hungry child and a family who are struggling. When we visualise
an average primary school class of 36 children, we should
recognise that 14 of them will be living in poverty, too hungry
to concentrate at school...
(Leeds East)
(Lab):...Controversy apart, in this, the fifth richest country on
earth, not a single person—adult or child—should need to be fed
by a charity. I congratulate all those wonderful people who
donate to charities, whether it be money or food, and who work in
food banks. In this, one of the richest countries on earth, that
simply should not be necessary. It is a political choice, as my
hon. Friend and others have said, and the campaign for the right
to food is so important. We need immediate action. I think that,
in this historic cost of living crisis, we need price caps on
food and other essential items. The state should intervene for
the benefit of everyone in our society, particularly the most
vulnerable. I believe that we need a tax on supermarket
super-profits, to create a fund to tackle hunger. And we should
certainly back the campaign by the National Education
Union and others for free school meals and support
for families over the school holidays....
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