Do expectant mothers still get the £200 healthy fruit and veg grant?

[Rowood]

My friend got it last year and I wondered if the government had slashed it yet?

[SansaLannister]

No. It's gone now, went in January.

[Jill72]

You might get a grotty Bounty pack if your'e lucky!!!

[BeeMyBaby]

I never read about anyone who actually used the money for health in pregnancy anyway...

[Rowood]

Me neither- my friend bought a new Hoover

[RitaMorgan]

It wasn't necessarily supposed to be spent on fruit and veg - the "health" bit was that you got it for attending ante-natal appointments. It even suggested you spend it on baby stuff.

"Healthy Start" vouchers for fruit/veg/milk are still available though if you are on benefits or a low income.

[lollystix]

I got mine with ds3 about 10 weeks after he was born despite applying on time around the 25 week mark. So the point was to give me cash to buy healthy food for my pregnancy yet by the time they dealt with the backlog he was well and truly here. Should have been means tested - total waste of taxpayers cash in my view

[TheDetective]

No, you get bog all these days! Not even the SSMG if you already have a child under 16...

[MissRee]

No but if you're on benefits you get £500

[SansaLannister]

'No but if you're on benefits you get £500 '

You may qualify for a Sure Start Grant of £500 for your first child only if you are in receipt of some benefits, yes.

[whizzyrocket]

We will all get child benefit though so we're not that badly off. True, my dh and I don't have anything spare atm (he keeps lamenting that we're supposed to be saving for a deposit to get on the housing ladder and wishing his premium bonds would come in! :) )but if you're sensible about not going over-board on the spending we should all be fine. I've not spent a bean so far!

I'll have to soon but only to get a £16 mattress for the moses basket we've been given.

[laracroft2001]

this is going to sound really horrible and i genuinely don't mean it to, but it really annoys me that ive been working full time and paying taxes for 14 years and get absolutely nothing from the government. Myself and my partner earn a decent amount, but are having to cut right back to be able to prepare and save for baby (and a £500 grant would be so useful right now) and there are people who live near me who have lived off benefits for years, get the grant and buy a new telly or a holiday with it. AAAAAAARRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (i appreciate that not everyone on benefits does this, and that there are people who genuinely need government support, but the whole system is messed up.

[herethereandeverywhere]

I used my grant (I think it was £180) to pay congestion charge and parking fees at my NHS hospital so although I didn't spend it on the baby, I did plough it back into the state. Thank God I'm at a different hospital this time.

[SansaLannister]

'this is going to sound really horrible and i genuinely don't mean it to, but it really annoys me that ive been working full time and paying taxes for 14 years and get absolutely nothing from the government. '

It always astounds me how people think paying tax entitles them to monies from the government. As if it's a shop where you pay in and get a sweetie out, or a bank where you pay monies in and expect to withdraw it when it suits you.

What about people who never have kids? Maybe they should moan about how they pay tax but don't get child benefit, child tax credits, that they pay for schools they never use, etc.

[SansaLannister]

And no, I am not and have never been on benefits, thankfully.

[laracroft2001]

sansa - I don't expect to get anything from the government, but the whole system annoys me where there are numerous people who live off the government, when there is no real reason why they can't get out and get a job and pay their taxes so they are also contributing to society. Like i said, know that does not include everyone on benefits and that there are people who genuinely do need benefits/support

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

laracroft just because you pay in doesnt mean you should receive, yes it would be nice to get 500 quid off the government but if you don't need it, you don't need it.

Why should it annoy you that we have a system in place that helps people that arnt as well off??
Heaven forbid you find yourself in a situation where you need the extra help.

[SansaLannister]

I don't begrudge them anything, tbh. I wouldn't want to live like that.

[laracroft2001]

amazing/sansa - i do not begrudge those who genuinely do need it - as I mentioned twice. I'm talking about the people who abuse the system (and there are lots!) and then use their JSA/benefits for a plasma screen/designer togs and blackberry phones.

those who genuinely need the help - i do not have a problem with

[BaldricksTurnip]

Yes all those limousines parked outside the Jobcentre do take the piss don't they?

[Beesok]

This is a very sticky subject but I think I know what laracroft is trying to say....in my job I have encountered quite a few parents on benefits who are totally able to work, find a job and not use them but are just too lazy to do so and it works out better for them (and this is their own confession!!)
So yes, there are lots of people who abuse the system and tax payers are getting crushed every year but yet more restrictions........

PS I am not on benefits but have nothing against people who genuinely need them and I support the idea of social security funded by the gov for those less able to work etc.

[LittleWhiteWolf]

But Laracroft, you DO get something from the government for paying taxes. You get to have your baby in a hospital without racking up a huge bill like in the States, where they don't get free healthcare.

Ok so its not a £500 grant, but I'd rather know I can call on the NHS (or police etc) when I need them.

I do see what you're saying, but looking at benefits in the absolute terms as portrayed by the Daily Mail for example, isn't pretty and just displays ignorance. Best to step away from it now, perhaps?

[MrsCog]

Laracroft as people have said above, you get your healthcare, ante-natal appointments, and all the money (sometimes in time form) various governments have spent over the years slowly but surely improving maternity pay and conditions for women.

I am thankful everyday that I don't need government support with anything, and would feel very unconfortable claiming the £190 grant if it was still around, knowing that DH and I manage to save a bit of money every month - as others have said, there are so many in desparate need in this country that as much money as possible should be diverted to them.

[BeeMyBaby]

I wouldn't say that I'd feel uncomfortable claiming the £190 but I'm glad the government has cut it when cuts needed to be made - while we are on the topic of benefits I am also glad the government cut the child trust fund money as with that it was actually forced upon people. Its amazing to think about how much money was being wasted on things people really didn't want.

[bonkers20]

Regardless of whether it was a good grant or not, it is tough when you knew a grant existed and then it's slashed just at the time you would have benefitted. That's just human nature.