The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 29th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to allow Healthy Start prepaid cards to be used for making online and telephone purchases of food items covered by the scheme.
Lord Kamall (Con): All beneficiaries who have a prepaid card can use it in all retailers which accept Mastercard payments and sell the permitted Healthy Start food items. There are no current plans to allow the prepaid card to be used online or for telephone purchases.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government whether transaction fees will be applied to purchases made using Healthy Start prepaid cards; and if so, what plans they have to consider the potential merits of exempting charitable food providers from those fees.
Lord Kamall (Con): The NHS Business Services Authority does not charge the retailer transaction fees for use of the Healthy Start pre-paid card. As for any card payment, retailers may be charged by their acquiring bank.
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government whether an impact assessment has been undertaken on the application of transaction fees to purchases made using Healthy Start prepaid cards.
Lord Kamall (Con): No impact assessment was undertaken. The NHS Business Services Authority do not charge the retailer transaction fees for use of the Healthy Start prepaid card. However, as for any card payment, retailers may be charged by their acquiring bank.
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.