Written Question·Department of Health and Social Care·UIN 126914

Healthy Start Scheme

Tabled: 13 April 2026
Answered: 20 April 2026

Question

Gideon Amos

Liberal DemocratTaunton and Wellington

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department has assessed the potential merits of extending Healthy Start eligibility to include working parents in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay.

Answer

Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The Healthy Start Scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of extending Healthy S...

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