Jane Hutt is a Labour Member of Senedd for the Welsh Parliament and on Monday and also on Wednesday she was involved in Foodbanks discussion for Wales. The Monday session began from Heledd Fychan who is the Plaid Cymru who began with the comment “What support is provided to foodbanks in South Wales Central to ensure that they continue to be able to meet people’s needs?” and two days later Alun Davies who is also a Labour Member who began with the comment “How is the Welsh Government supporting foodbanks in Blaenau Gwent?”. The first comment on Monday was provided by Jane Hutt as the person to speak which was

Thank you very much for that question. We have supported the development of cross-sector food partnerships across Wales, enabling the co-ordination of on-the-ground food-related activity to help to tackle the root causes of food poverty. This will support local initiatives such as foodbanks and will ensure that resources are targeted at areas of greatest need.

Heledd Fychan then responded to her and then Jane responded back and part of her response included this subject which focused this on FareShare.

But I think, crucially, as well, it’s working with the Minister for rural affairs, the Trefnydd, on the community food strategy. But foodbanks, of course, do some much more. They are absolutely vital to the community. They provide financial and welfare signposting and advice, cost-of-living advice. But can I just say also that there’s been a real pressure on, actually, access to food? You’ll have heard that from your food banks, because FareShare—. They redistributed nearly 1,500 tonnes of good food surplus last year, but they’ve had a short-term issue in supply over the last four or five months. So, I’m continuing to work with all of those who are working in this field.

On Wednesday the first session came from Jane

Since 2019 the Welsh Government has allocated over £18 million to support foodbanks and community food organisations across Wales, including in Blaenau Gwent, to tackle food poverty and provide a wider range of services to help individuals and households maximise their income and build financial resistance.

Alun Davies then follows up from her and she then responds and then Peredur Owen Griffiths from Plaid Cymru comments and then Jane responds and part of her contribution is

Diolch yn fawr, Peredur. Following up that important question from Alun Davies, I’ve already mentioned the funding that we’ve been providing to support community food organisations, and I’ve also mentioned—which links to it—the funding we’re giving to the Fuel Bank Foundation. Just on that point about the Fuel Bank Foundation, many people are in fuel and food poverty. In fact, we know that many people are no longer able to cook food because of the cost of electricity, so there’s more use of cold food. And actually, this is where the pantries that are developing, like the food sharing in Cwm and other pantries around Wales—Big Bocs Bwyd, FareShare—providing fresh food and fruit, as well as perhaps tinned food and food that needs to be heated—. But we’re doing everything that we can not just in terms of providing funding for community food organisations, which helps to access food supplies, but also to pay for those fridge freezers.

So it is very encouraging for the Welsh Parliament to contribute FareShare on the two cases – let us hope that they will call for support to FareShare and also for them to persuade UK Government to also do so.