Armed Forces personnel use food banks due to 'personal budgeting decisions', Mercer says
Military personnel are making the choice to use food banks because of "personal decisions around how people are budgeting", the Veterans Affairs minister has said.
During a TV interview, Johnny Mercer also said "being in the military still affords you a good wage and a good quality of life".
Mr Mercer's comments come on the day of the launch of a Government-funded hotline for homeless veterans.
'Military still affords you a good wage'
Mr Mercer, in response to a question from Kay Burley at Sky News about if there is "any need" for military personnel to use food banks, said: "These are personal decisions around how people are budgeting every month.
"I don’t want to see anyone using food banks, of course I don’t. But we’re in an extremely difficult time around cost of living.
"I’ll always advocate for service personnel to get paid more, I’d be mad not to. But it has to be within the constraints of a budget."
Put to him that people do not choose to rely on food banks for their provisions, Mr Mercer replied: "Well, in my experience that is not correct.
"I think there are some dire cases that we need to do more to wrap our arms around and make sure that there is a safety net for people.
"I don’t think food bank use is an accurate portrayal of where levels of poverty, relative or absolute poverty, are in this country."
Food banks are often run by charities and community groups, giving free packages of donated goods to those who cannot afford shop prices.
Those attending food banks tend to be referred by a service or specialist, such as a doctor, health visitor, social workers or Citizens Advice.
Mr Mercer added: "I don't want to see anybody using food banks, but I think that being in the military still affords you a good wage and a good quality of life. And that will continue to be the case."
Mr Mercer, later added to his comments with a post on Twitter, saying: "Military personnel should not be using food banks - period. Disagree if you like, but that is true. If you are serving personnel and you are using a food bank because you are 'starving' please do call me and I will come and see you."
Mr Mercer was conducting a morning round of broadcast interviews on Tuesday as part of an announcement around a dedicated helpline for homeless veterans.
Ex-servicemen and women can be referred to a network of support, including housing providers, charities and local authorities, by calling this new hotline.
The £500,000 helpline – open to people in England, Scotland and Wales – is part of a two-year £8.55m programme working towards the Government's pledge to end veteran rough sleeping.
Mr Mercer, in a press release, said: "Everyone deserves a place they can call home, not least those who have served their country. Today's launch is a huge milestone in ending veteran homelessness and a clear demonstration of this government delivering on its promises.
"There is a lot of great work being done across the country to help veterans get the right level of support. Op Fortitude is about bringing all of this together, so any veteran has a clear pathway to get local and customised care."
On Twitter, Mr Mercer vowed to end veterans' homelessness in the UK this year.
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