Mothers' £200 healthy eating grant

Monday, 10 September 2007 12:00 AM

The government is considering giving pregnant women a one-off cash payment in the hope it will help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A Health in Pregnancy Grant of £200 would be given to women in their seventh month of pregnancy, alongside advice on how to maintain a balanced diet or give up smoking or drinking.

The government intends the money to be spent on fruit and vegetables, but can do nothing to prevent women spending it on other pregnancy-related costs, or alcohol and cigarettes.

Although designed to help the poorest women improve their health, officials reportedly rejected the idea of means-testing the grant and decided to make it a universal addition to the child benefit.

The Department of Health spokesman said: "It is something that would be put in place in conjunction with health professionals who already visit pregnant women with healthy diet advice."

The Conservatives criticised the scheme, which could cost as much as £80 million a year, as a one-off gimmick and queried if it had even been piloted.

Health secretary Alan Johnson will set out the plan in a speech this week, as he comes under increasing pressure to tackle health inequalities between the richest and poorest.

Sir Derek Wanless, a former adviser to the NHS, will this week publish a critical report on public health in Britain. It is expected to condemn the government for a lack of progress in tackling rising obesity and other health concerns.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "This Labour government has presided over growing health inequalities.

"For the government now to be talking about enhanced interventions with mothers in deprived areas is deeply hypocritical when the number of midwives hasn't kept pace with the increase in births over the last five years.

"A vital first step is to boost community midwife teams who can ensure that mothers get the right advice, screening and support from the first point at which they book in. Anything else must come after that."

Mr Johnson is expected to call for a greater emphasis on prevention in improving the nation's health.

The Health in Pregnancy Grant, which would launch in 2009, is based on the assumption that helping mothers eat well will reduce the chances of their children suffering from illnesses.

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