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MPs are calling on the government to consult on a ‘national right to food’ and to appoint a Minister for food security. The calls come in a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), which follows on from its Coronavirus and food supply report last summer. Disability Rights highlighted 3 key findings in the report:

• a new minister should be appointed to work across departments to ensure “that everyone and especially the most vulnerable”, have access to enough “affordable nutritious food”.
• that the Government must consult on a legal “right to food” in its White Paper responding to the National Food Strategy, due out this summer.
• supermarkets to “recognise their responsibility” to assist shielders. EFRA guidance encouraged scrapping delivery charges and minimum online spending for shielders, as well as ensuring that ‘Covid secure’ measures in-store do not exclude Disabled people.

One in ten households experienced food poverty in the past two lockdowns.

The charity, Contact, ran a Covid-19 vaccination survey that shows that almost 70% of parents want their disabled children aged under 16 to have a vaccine when it has been through trials and is licensed for use by children. And 10% would like it off-licence right now, but only 3 in 200 families have been successful in getting the jab for their child vulnerable child so far. Read our full survey findings here.

There is a growing desire to have a unique identifier to ensure efficiency and accuracy of data sharing across Social Care and Education. The use of the NHS number as a unique identifier (as enabled by the Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015) is well established between adult health and social care settings, but is more complicated for those under 18 as the Act does not cover children’s social care and education services data.

Great Minds Together and the PDA Society are also going to be working on the NHS Health Education England Autism Peer Education programme. They hope to make a real difference in raising awareness of PDA to prevent escalation of mental health needs resulting in hospitalisation for autistic people.

The government is keen to hear from disabled people, their carers, friends and family but views from the wider public are also very welcome. All views will be used to shape the delivery of the plans set out in the forthcoming Strategy. The survey will remain open until 23 April.