THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) refused to answer questions on rising food bank use yesterday, as the UK Government hit out against “misleading” links to benefits problems and low wages.

In its annual report, The Trussell Trust said welfare payment delays and sanctions are the most common reason given by those turning to emergency food aid, with low income closely behind.

The charity network provided three-day supply packs for almost 133,730 people across Scotland in 2015-16, marking a new record. The total includes more than 43,960 children and comes as overall UK referrals broke the 1.1 million barrier.

According to research by the Trussell Trust and Hull University, reliance on food banks was highest in areas with large numbers of people in manual skilled work, or residents with health problems or disabilities that prevent them from working.

The results have been criticised from across the political spectrum and civic society, with Scottish Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil branding the disproportionately high level of usage in Scotland a “damning indictment” of Westminster policy.

Yesterday however, the DWP, which is responsible for both employment policy and welfare reform, dismissed such comments and refused to answer questions about what it can do to tackle the ongoing growth of food aid in wealthy Britain.

The department is now headed by Stephen Crabb MP following the departure of Iain Duncan Smith last month.

Following a request for comment from Crabb yesterday, a spokeswoman told The National the “subject matter of food banks goes beyond DWP policy areas” so neither the minister nor the department would respond.

Instead, a UK Government spokesman said: “Reasons for food bank use are complex, so it is misleading to link them to any one thing. The Government is determined to move to a higher wage society, introducing the new National Living Wage that will benefit over one million workers directly this year, and we’re also spending £80 billion on working-age benefits to ensure a strong safety [net] for those who need it most. The vast majority of benefits are processed on time and the number of sanctions have actually gone down.”

The number of Scots who used Trussell Trust food banks in 2015-16 grew more than 13 per cent on the previous year. Figures show Scotland is second only to north-west England in the number of people seeking help, where 160,050 referrals were received from a population of more than 7.1million.

Despite a difference in population of almost two million, the caseloads were only 26,320 apart and the charity says the level of need north of the Border is “disproportionately high”.

Yesterday, Ewan Gurr, Scotland Network manager at the Trussell Trust, maintained food-bank use is connected to low income and welfare problems.

He said: “Benefit delays, benefit changes and low incomes are definitely issues but the truth is we need to think about reforming the sanctions policy.

“People are being broken,” he added. “We need to get the issue of food poverty back in the public domain.”

Meanwhile, Oxfam Scotland head Jamie Livingstone said: “The real scale of hunger in Scotland is likely to be significantly higher as these figures do not include people who access the large number of other organisations proving food aid. There is no shortage of food in Scotland – this is about poverty.”

Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council, said: “The latest figures on food bank use paints a worrying picture for Scotland. Throughout the country church congregations, faith groups and other volunteers are stepping in to help as the welfare state is falling short of people’s needs. To think what the situation would be without such volunteers does not bare considering.

“Our desire to meet the need we see before us must be matched by a desire for a world in which food banks are consigned to the history books.”