Parents can struggle to feed their children towards the end of summer holidays because of the other costs they are facing, the island’s politicians have been told.

But Chief Minister Howard Quayle said information was ’inconclusive’ as to the causes of holiday hunger for children.

Former children’s champion Daphne Caine (Garff) challenged that, saying there had been plenty of information from the Food Bank .

In Tynwald last week, she asked Mr Quayle what action was being taken to prevent the seasonal increase in demand at the Food Bank and to mitigate the risk of hunger among school-age children during the summer holidays.

Mr Quayle said: ’The feedback from the Food Bank on levels of demand during school holiday periods is that demand peaks during September, at the end of the holidays, caused by the need to purchase school uniform, equipment and associated costs.

’Financial support may be available towards the purchase of uniforms where there are extenuating circumstances.’

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Parents should contact the Department of Education, Sport and Culture in such circumstances, he said.

The Chief Minister added: ’Definitive information available on the island is inconclusive regarding holiday hunger.’

He said any solution had to be ’relative to the demand’.

But he pledged: ’No child should be hungry on this island.

’If there are families where there is concern, they must urgently contact the social security division of the Treasury in the first instance to ensure that they are receiving the benefits to which they are entitled.’

However, Mrs Caine said the first advice the social security division gave to families was to contact the Food Bank, which was anticipating the need to provide up to 50 extra food parcels in August.

She also challenged the assertion about inconclusive information.

’The Food Bank director could give many examples of parents facing hardship through this summer holiday period,’ she said.

’He (Mr Quayle) says there is no definitive, conclusive evidence to say there is. Well, I would say has he spoken to the director of the Food Bank, because I think he would find that the director at the Food Bank has first-hand knowledge of several families facing hardship and child hunger this summer.’

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas said a working group tackling homelessness and hunger had spoken with the Food Bank and collected data and there was ’no evidence’ that demand at the Food Bank increased in July and August.

In a separate question, Mrs Caine asked Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan whether he planned to provide free school meals to children who currently do not receive them because their parents are not entitled to benefits due to not meeting the residency qualification.

Mr Cannan said there were no plans but added that where someone did not ordinarily qualify for a benefit due to residency status, ’they may still be entitled to an income-related benefit if, in the opinion of a social security adjudication officer, it would be exceptionally harsh or oppressive to deny them benefit’.

In that situation their children would be entitled to free school meals.