Easter meal vouchers for some Isle of Man children as bills rise

The government wants to give out food vouchers over the Easter holidays as bills rise

Meal vouchers will be given out over the Easter holidays to Isle of Man families who receive free school meals, if Tynwald backs the move.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said it was part of plans to help households manage "substantial" bill increases.

It comes after considerable hikes in gas and electricity bills on the island were introduced on 1 April.

The government was also developing plans to help children during the summer holidays, Mr Cannan said.

He told the House of Keys more details about the Easter scheme would be revealed before schools shut on 11 April, and providing further support was being considered during the summer, when "the impact of inflation and cost rises will be well and truly felt".

Tynwald will be asked to support the move at a special sitting on Thursday.

'Cost of living challenge'

The chief minister also outlined plans to reduced public transport fares and speed up home insulation improvements in a bid to ease the burden of price rises.

The impact of increases in energy costs and inflation meant lower income households were likely to now be paying 20% more of their weekly income on basic essentials, he said.

Mr Cannan described that hike as "a cost of living challenge greater than any of us will have seen and perhaps only witnessed by our parents' generation in the 1970s".

Jason Moorhouse MHK said the provision of food vouchers was "a positive update focused on those in most need", while Tim Glover MHK warned support may have to be staggered "should the cost of living crisis continue into the winter".