Government issues consultation on expanding Healthy Start programme to those with no recourse to public funds

The government is consulting on whether to give asylum seekers and other people with no recourse to public funds a statutory right to access support from the Healthy Start scheme.

Healthy Start gives pregnant women, parents and children under four access to funding to buy healthy food and receive vitamins, if they are on certain benefits. Some families aren’t eligible because they’re not allowed to claim those benefits, including asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be processed.

Many national and local charities and council leaders called on the previous government to change the rules in a joint letter to the Primary Care and Public Health Minister.

The consultation is open until 23rd October at 11:59pm.

The consultation can be accessed via gov.uk.