Question reference: S6W-14553
- Date lodged: 31 January 2023
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Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting any students living in Scotland who are facing food insecurity.
Answer
We are taking all the action we can to help students overcome the issues they face through the cost of living crisis, including food insecurity.
No one should have to compromise on food or other essentials. We are supporting students directly by providing £16.8m in hardship funding for the current academic year to support Higher Education students experiencing financial hardship, in addition to tuition fees and a range of living cost support.
We have also provided £135m in student support for Further Education students attending college in the current academic year. Colleges can use these funds flexibly to meet demand across Further Education student bursaries, childcare and hardship funding.
The Scottish Government recently provided an additional £2.4 million funding for groups that can get vital support to people quickly – and with an emphasis on cash grants so that people can access food with dignity and choice.
We encourage anyone who is struggling financially to get advice through their local authority, a local advice service, or Social Security Scotland as well as visiting our cost of living website - www.gov.scot/news/accessing-help-for-cost-of-living