I’D like to thank ‘Free Mealer’ for their letter highlighting holiday hunger in the Central Fife Times last week.

It is abhorrent in this day and age that families across the constituency find themselves reliant on food banks, especially during school holidays. The brutal fact is that, unless society intervenes, scores of children return to school malnourished after summer.

Every child deserves a decent education but for far too many their physical health is negatively impacting their ability to learn. It’s grossly unfair and not something I and Fife Council are willing to stand by and simply watch happen.

When I was deputy leader of Fife Council concerned teachers approached me about this issue and I then worked with officers to identify areas that had high free school meal tariffs. We started by introducing a pilot programme in a number of schools and that initiative has continued to grow since, with Cllr Judy Hamilton spearheading the Café Inc project this summer following a successful pilot in Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly earlier this year.

Amber Rudd declined my invitation to come to Fife to see for herself the impact Universal Credit has had on families across Fife as a result of delayed first payment and punitive sanctions.

Incredibly, her cabinet colleague, Alok Sharma, Minister of State for Employment, sent a letter stating that “food banks represent an impressive response by civil society and faith groups to support vulnerable people.”

I’ve accepted Mr Sharma’s invitation to meet him in Westminster and I’ll be forcefully pointing out that this Government should be ashamed of the fact that charities – which have become a de facto welfare state - are being brought to breaking point as they try and cope with demand.

This cruel and callous Government needs to recognise the damage their policies are having, especially on children, and do something to change it - now.

LESLEY LAIRD,

MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.