Food poverty: Households, food banks and free school meals
This paper provides statistics on household food insecurity, food bank usage and free school meals in the UK, and tracks the impact of rising living costs.

This pack has been prepared ahead of the debate to be held in Westminster Hall at 9.30am on Tuesday 11 February 2020 on waste incineration facilities. The debate will be opened by Sharon Hodgson MP.
Commons Library debate pack - Waste incineration facilities (756 KB , PDF)
The process of incineration of waste creates a number of emissions. As such, regulation of waste incineration is currently controlled by EU legislation, principally the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010. Under this legislation incinerators must operate under a permit regime based on Best Available Techniques.
In England, these permitting requirements are implemented by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales Regulations) 2016, as amended. An environmental permit will set conditions which limit the discharge to air, water and soil of specified substances.
EU legislation also provides for a “waste hierarchy”. It gives top priority to preventing waste in the first place. When waste is created, it gives priority to preparing it for re-use, then recycling, then recovery, and last of all disposal (e.g. landfill and incineration where there is no energy recovery).
In its December 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy the then UK Government said that “Incineration currently plays a significant role in waste management in the UK, and the Government expects this to continue.” The strategy also indicated that the Government may consider a tax on incineration, should other policies to incentivise recycling not deliver the required results. The forthcoming Environment Bill 2019-20 announced in the December 2019 Queen’s Speech is expected to include measures that aim to minimise waste and promote resource efficiency.
Incineration can be a controversial form of waste management. Proposals for new incineration facilities often face strong public opposition. Many environmental groups oppose incineration and there are also specific campaign groups, including UKWIN (UK Without Incineration Network). For example, UKWIN argues that, among other things, incineration is a barrier to a circular economy – preventing resources from being reused, depresses recycling, is a nuisance and gives rise to air pollution concerns.
Commons Library debate pack - Waste incineration facilities (756 KB , PDF)
This paper provides statistics on household food insecurity, food bank usage and free school meals in the UK, and tracks the impact of rising living costs.
The Water Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 16 October 2024, and its second reading took place on 28 March 2025. The second reading debate was adjourned, and is scheduled to continue on 4 July 2025, if there is time in the sitting. The Library briefing provides an overview of the bill and background information.
A private member’s bill sponsored by Aphra Brandreth MP to extend the offence of livestock worrying by dogs to include more livestock and new locations.