Lib Dems: Pregnancy grant nothing but a gimmick

Government plans to introduce a pregnancy grant to encourage healthy eating habits in expectant mothers would be “an abject waste of taxpayers’ money” according to the Liberal Democrats.

The payment of £200 would be given mothers at 29 weeks, alongside professional nutritional advice in an attempt to reduce premature birth rates.

The new government scheme – due to be introduced in 2009 – will cost between £70 and £80 million a year, according to estimates.

Liberal Democrat health secretary Norman Lamb spoke out today, dismissing the new programme as a “gimmick”.

Mr Lamb said: “The scheme would be an abject waste of taxpayers’ money. It smacks of a typical New Labour gimmick that tries to address a serious social issue by throwing money at it.”

Labour claim the financial incentive will help to balance differences in lifestyles amongst varying socio-economic groups, as it is generally believed that lower income families choose not to eat healthier foods because they are more expensive.

However, Mr Lamb claimed the proposals only served to highlight the health inequalities that persist under the current government.

He concluded: “There needs to be far more done to get across the value of healthy diets, especially during pregnancy, but this sort of state handout will likely achieve nothing of any substance.”