The government has wasted money which could have been spent on tackling child poverty, according to a House of Lords Committee (Picture: Getty Images) Home Office ministers have been criticised for not spending millions of pounds of EU funding to help tackle problems areas such as food deprivation, homelessness and child poverty. The criticism comes from the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee .

In a letter to Victoria Atkins MP, parliamentary under secretary of state for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, the committee said it was concerned that the government had not used than £3,500,000 of funding from the The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD).

A plan to use the money to expand breakfast clubs across the country was not eligible and, to date, the money has still not been used.

The inactivity means that nearly £600,000 has already been returned to the EU and a similar amount could also be lost if it is not allocated by the end of 2019.

Home Office ministers were criticised (Picture Getty Images) The government has now drawn up plans to spend the money on schemes that will help refugees and victims of modern slavery, but this still has to be approved by Brussels.

Lord Jay of Ewelme, committee chair, said the goverment has wasted over half a million pounds through its inability to develop a suitable project.

He added: ‘The proposed programme to support young refugees and potential victims of modern slavery is very welcome, but it is astonishing that it has taken the Government so long to come up with a possible FEAD project.

‘With the prospect of a ‘no deal’ Brexit on the horizon, the Committee has called for urgent clarity on how this would affect the UK’s access to FEAD money. The clock is ticking.’

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