Debate contribution: Emergency Food Parcels for Children

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 27 January 2025.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

27 January 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Emergency Food Parcels for Children

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4759210

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Having been blessed with three young boys, I know all too well the increasing costs of rearing a family in this day and age. Not only are nappies expensive but the cost of buying fresh food to ensure that children have the best start is steadily on the rise. Like all other Members, I agree that it would be better if the service were not required, but, sadly for many, a food bank has become a critical service that provides many people with a lifeline for them and their family when they find themselves in difficulty. Charity will always have a role to play in every society. Christ himself reminded his disciples:

"ye have the poor always with you",

but, while government can and should ease the problem of poverty, we will never be able to legislate it out of existence. There is nothing shameful about using a food bank or having one. In criticising the need for food banks, there is a danger that Members create a stigma that need not be there. Food banks are a testament to the community spirit to help our neighbours, and they should be praised as such rather than being seen as a failure of government or society to support those who use them. Prior to Christmas, I made a Member's statement in the House, the aim of which was to highlight the vital service that food banks provide and to call for those who have been blessed beyond their needs to donate where possible, as well as to praise the work of the many volunteers who ensure that food banks are able to meet people at their point of need. North Antrim has two main Trussell Trust food banks servicing the area, with further satellite stations at churches throughout the constituency. All the main food banks, while they have a staff member employed to oversee compliance and distribution, rely heavily on volunteers. I have worked closely with the Ballymena food bank based at Green Pastures Church and have seen the heart that the team has to go above and beyond to help people. That is a testament to their Christian faith. Before today's debate, I asked them whether they had a message that they would like me to convey to Members and what it would be. They highlighted the fact that pressure on food banks is increasing and the fact that working families and, in particular, working single-parent households who receive no government benefits increasingly struggle with household bills. Tellingly, they report that parents struggle to feed their children during school holidays, with a marked increase in families attending the food bank during the summer and half-term breaks. As the cost of living increases, people no longer have a rainy day fund, and, thus, when they are faced with an exceptional bill, such as for a boiler breakdown, they have no choice but to attend the food bank to feed themselves and their children until their next pay day. Members, there are many things that the Executive can do collectively to help families with young children, such as assistance with childcare or a cap on school uniform costs, but what we never hear much talk about is the steady increase in rates and the burden and stress that that puts on families. All these ideas are great, but the money has to come from somewhere to fund them. When approaching the issue of rates, we need to be aware of the extra pressures that increases will place on families who are already struggling. One of my many frustrations when I was in local government was the attitude of some councillors when setting the rate. They were using the ratepayer as a cash cow rather than funding a service to reflect the needs of those whom they served. In the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area in 2023-24, for example, a ratepayer with a house with a capital value of £150,000 was billed £1,451. In 2024-25, the same ratepayer is paying £1,551 for the same services. We are all good at contributing to debates such as this, but, when it comes to making decisions to protect our people when striking rates etc, there is much less enthusiasm to cut our cloth accordingly.

710 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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