It's stupid. The women who'd eat well anyway, will still eat well. The women who wouldn't, will spend it on fags and booze.

cath, london, uk

Come on what is the point in this. It is just a ploy by politicians to put something out there that looks good to a particular demographic. The civil servants and health professionals will see sense and stop it leaving the politicians to back away saying it got canned because of someone else. Why dont they give me a £120 to put up with this nonsense. I think I deserve it.

John, Egremont, Cumbria

Whatever you do, government thinkers, do not give money. Some years ago, I remember seeing a woman I knew who was paying for two tins of baked beans and two loaves of bread at a supermarket till, put back one of the loaves so that she could have enough to pay for her cigarettes. The bread and beans, she told me outside, were for her five children's lunch and dinner. Beans on toast that day, chips the next. Except that I neither smoked nor drank, I've been as poor as that, so I know.
Give vouchers, by all means - it's a great idea - but some women (or their partners) will just use the money for other things.

Ruth Marie, Swansea, Wales

After running through the write up and some pithy and cogent comments by discreet readers, I feel that the scheme is very effective, humane and practical, if followed in its letter and spirits. Kudos to British Government for taking up such innovative, novel and"out-of-the-box" ideas and help out the expecting moms. Remember, any amount spent for better health of our progenies and future generations, is like a long term investments. It shall reap everlasting results and will go for the betterment of our society and nation. Sounds very theoretical, but we need to give some insight and thought about it. "fags, drugs and Booze"which is prevalent in our society like a scourge, is effecting the physical and mental growth of the inborn child in the womb. I suggest that our Indian Government, which majorly remains in a state of slumber and slothfullness tackling such social causes, should learn some lessons from it. I really wish,some sane minds should take up initiative to provide "preg aid"

witty, New Delhi, India

I'd be delighted if the government just got on with the business of governing, and stopped telling me how to live my life. Frankly, what business is it of theirs whether pregnant women eat vegetables or not? Really? This silly but seemingly innocuous idea is the thin end of a very unpleasant wedge.

Margot, Oakville, Ontario

The idea sounds very innovative and pragmatic too. To give "veg aid" to all pregnant women ....is it a dole, a 'preggy allowance' or simply a NHS support system for all expecting moms to have good healthy vegan diet. But I suggest that instead of giving financial aid or fund disbursement which might fritter away , to ensure its end use, Govt. should make arrangements for supply of fruits, vegetables, and other green and leafy healthy food stuffs through medi-centres. But who shall bear the brunt, or the burden of all this financial expense. The poor tax payer , whose salary is already sledged with the tax-knife to cut out and slice off a big portion from his cake. Having said that it is a good move, unless the core and latent intention of all this propoganda is to build up some vote banks. If it is the game of the ballot, at the Hustings the "veg aid" scheme (sic) may conceive well and turn pregnant too ,but at the time of its delivery may cause an unwanted "abortion".So far so good..

sandy, New Delhi, India

This would actually be a great help to me and a lot of girls I know. Fruit and veg is so expensive these days. And the organic stuff is just extortionate. It really irks me that we have to pay so much to eat food as it is meant to be eaten i.e. no pesticides, hormones and other rubbish.

Better than another handout that is bound to have strings attached somewhere down the line I think they should work on making decent quality food affordable for everyone. £2.35 for three peppers is absurd. Failing that a voucher system would do, I suppose.

Emmy, Chelmsley Wood,

Yet another idea that has not been thought out. If a pregnant woman has even a modicum of common sense then she will know and understand the importance of not smoking, not drinking and of eating sensibly to ensure proper growth, on the other hand those without much commons sense are still likely to blow any additional handouts, which incidentally the British tax-payer has not been consulted about, on all the wrong items. Even if the handout is in the forms of vouchers you can bet your sweet bippy they will find ways of exchanging them form something else. Meanwhile, pensioners choose between eating and heating. What a lousy country, or rather what lousy politicians we have.

Kenneth Armitage, Suffolk, England

This is also about creating jobs for Civil Servants or some Quango. We'll probably find that the cost of the scheme is larger than the benefits paid out.

Of course if one is cynical and suspects full well that the £120 will be spent by some on 'fags & booze' then perhaps this is a determined attempt to persuade the Treasury that the cost will be significantly less as it's offset by tax and duty receipts but that as a political promo it's worthwhile expense of the taxpayers' money on behalf of the Labour Party.

Maybe each Secretary of State has to come up with a vote winning promotion on the taxpayer as Labour Party is next to bankrupt. it seems morally as well as financially.

DM, Eastbourne,

As usual the government have forgotten about some of the poorest members of society, pensioners, many pensioners go without the basics of food just so they can have the very things we take for granted, shelter, clothes, good food, the government always forget the poorest members of society, pregnancy is a individual choice being a poor pensioner is something that more and more people of this country will become in the future, i have set up a e-petition on the number 10 downing st. website please look at it and sign it, we will all be pensioners oneday http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/freshfruitveg/ many thousands of the poorest pensioners die every year because they have been forgotten about, pensioners of this country deserve a little help in their final years, please give them your support, tell your friends about this e-petition, thanks very much.

Tony Rhodes (National Carers Forum ), Streatham/London, England

Better than nothing but not a substitute for supporting the pregnant poor properly. We are not good at this benefits thing.

Focus the money on those who need it, not the wealthy middle class, and see some benefits - though obviously vouchers would be a little more likely to succeed than just handing out a small amount to anyone to spend as they like.

colin f, Shrewsbury,

No! Why don't I, as a taxpayer, get a say in what my hard-earned money gets spent on?

This is ridiculous; I'm already helping fund the 100,000 teenagers a year who fall pregnant, and now I'm also expected to fund a financial handout that the government hopes they will spend on healthy food, but will undoubtedly be spent on Lambert & Butlers and Lambrini.

I think National Insurance contributions should become optional or structured in such a way that either they go into a government account, or you can put them into an individual savings account. No doubt I'm going to work my whole life, never claim benefit, but nonetheless pay through the nose for years and years to fund layabouts.

Claire, London,

Just remember this at election time. The arrogance and absurdity of this idea beggars belief.
It's vote-buying, plain and simple. And it' hasn't even remotely been thought through first!
But, hey , that's ok Brown, those who'd sooner buy fags and booze than veg will now get more of my money to buy even more fags and booze.
I just hope everyone here makes their disgust known at the ballot box.

P Williams, London,

Rather than give mothers £120 to spend on fruit and vegetables (not knowing that the mothers will) they would be far better getting Sainsburys or other large supermakets to co-operate with the government on a voucher system, whereby they can only be changed for fruit and vegetables. In this way at least everyone would know, that their money had been spent on what it was intended.

R Clarke, Derbyshire,

£120 per birth for veg!.. madness. at our local hospital £120 per birth could increase the number of midwives by 24%.
These are the staff who can make a difference to all mothers if given the time to spend discussing healthy living options with mothers that extend beyond veggies to smoking and obesity, issues that are just as important.
They already are one of the few professionals who are genuinely made welcome by all family members in the community - social workers are not always welcome - and no admin costs and risk of fraud...cost effective too as 24 new midwives would probably pay tax to the chancellor of about £35 per birth.

get real Alan

simon colbourne, manningtree, essex

Don't these comments have a cliché filter?

That comment about horses to water made me black out for a moment.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

How ridiculous. Do these fools not realise that "mother" and "laura ashley wearing flower child" are not synonyms. Women who have the brains and attitude to eat healthily if they get an extra £120 will also eat healthily without the £120. Those who don't have that approach will simply spend the money on whatever takes their fancy anyway. How long before the first story about some Vicky Pollard-a-like who manages to kill her unborn foetus by celebrating the reciept of her £120 with cheap vodka and fags! Please Mr (and Mrs) Politician - back away from the camera and think for a minute.

ian, Farnborough, England

i think the £120 is a good idea but i think grocery vouchers would be even better.

Sarah, Bridgend, south wales

The person who came up with this one lives in a different world to the people they seek to help. One where, to show you care, you spend money without a thought beyond the headline created and
the warm glow from a few electoral votes.
Child health by fashion from the intellectually vacuous or the spending of £100 million to" postion" oneself in the media vote market?
This payout to the caring thoughtful parent will be irrelavent and to the feckless ,at best it will help with the "lecky" bill.The people who would dissadvantage their child already have a short lifetime of ignoring advice.The soon to be born will possibly have an even greater diet of cigarettes and alchol to stunt their growth.
There is a middle ground of those who will listen to advice but lets hope they spend the money on unprocessed meat and fish, the expensive foods.
. Will fashion allow non vegetarain advice?

robert everitt , wolverhampton,

Everyone can buy fruit and veg, they're not that expensive. Yet another benefit to dish out to pregnant women? They are pumped full of information. Its their choice at the end of the day.I can only see them spending it on other than fruit and veg!!!

Bev Stewart, Birmingham, England

I believe the money should be in vouchers that can only be used for fruit and veg and should come with information on how to give up smokes and drink and how to eat more healthy.
And I do feel that the government should be looking at doing this for everyone not just pregnant women. I have chosen to be pregnant and can afford fruit and veg, I do not qualify for any government benefits and feel this is a good step forward, if done in the right way.

Jemma, Warwickshire,

How stupid can our so-called government get?With children already being used to get extra benifits,housing ect,this is just another excuse for some dim-wits to get even more out of our country and expand even further our already-swelling baby-boom crisis.Its the do-gooders again.They haven't got a clue.
I'm unemployed because of a genuine illness,but what happened when I got married and was TOTALLY upfront about my situation?I had my benifits slashed and help was taken away from me.It's like if you are honest in this god-forsaken country now,you are penalised.If you lie,or have children as a means of extra cash;well,lets open the door to you and give you loadsamoney...then you can get as drunk and as high as you like,and not have to worry about using your OWN cash.
SICK!!!

simcock, stoke, staffs

The NHS is strapped for cash and we are giving £120.00 to a pregnant woman so she can eat more healthily, it is stupidity at its worst. The teenage chav population are already multiplying faster than rabbits due to the wonderful benefits new labour hand out and this is just another added treat for the benefits career breeders.

Mrs M, UK,

Well Mr Brown has been in power a couple of months and its back to running , sorry i mean spinning the country.
This is just another New Labour headline grabbing gimmick.
When will the British people wake up and boot these frauds out?

jamesconway, Singapore,

Being an expectant mother myself, it is nice to know the Government are trying to help expectant mums and give their baby's the best start. However, I do agree that giving £120 to expectant mother's would be a waste of money as the majority will not spend it on fruit and veg. I buy apples, bananas, watermelon, clementines, brocoli, carrots swede, onions and potatoes, lettuce, cucumber and peppers every week in my shopping, and grow my own runner beans, and I couldn't honestly say that the £120 would go completely towards fruit and veg as i am already budgeting for my dietary needs whilst pregnant.
Perhaps the Government could give out vouchers for fruit and veg? Or maybe nappy vouchers?
I think it is a lovely idea, but like everything else it will only work if people don't abuse the system.

Katie, Folkestone, Kent

You can lead a horse to water but can you make her drinK?

will, zoeterwoude, NL

We all Know £120 wont make a 'hoot' of difference, what a waste of our money!
Although I do agree with the concept, to help 'mums-to-be' and 'Baby-to-be'

Charles Linskaill, Edinburgh, UK

Fruit and veg, despite all the hype, provide very little in the way of nutrition. Fruit for example, provides sugar, vitamin C and certain other anti-oxidents. Sugar is a serious health problem, linked to infections, which it feeds, tooth-decay and heart disease and many other ills, and also, via fructose, drains the body of that most important mineral : magnesium (health spas are almost always magnesium wells). Vitamin C has proven, finally, to be an 'ordinary' vitamin, inneffective at all that has in the past be claimed for it. Anti-oxidents, much hyped, are leaving contradictory effects in actual studies.

Veg, which is defined by the government as excluding potatoes, appear to only have the property of reducing carbohydrate intake since almost all are ultra-low in cabs. As for nutrition, they barely give a thing, and what they give is not very bio-available.

The single most nutritional substance is meat, and the wonder food is liver. But people now think they are toxic.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

What a laugh! The people who don't eat healthily at any other time are not likely to spend this money on healthy food during pregnancy. What a ludicrous idea.

Tina, Duesseldorf, Germany

Surely the only way to ensure that the money will be spent on healthy food is to issue vouchers which can only be exchanged for fresh fruit and veg

Just another example of how inept and out of touch with reality the current goverment is if they expect this to make any difference to this country's growing obesity problem.

Tanya, Eastbourne,

If the goverment want pregnant mothers to spend this money on healthy food then surely it should be given as vouchers which can only be used to buy fresh fruit and veg.

I believe that this potential policy just continues to prove that the government are so completely out of touch with the population.

Tanya, Eastbourne,

How about gving us " older people " extra money so we can eat healthy ??? Im disabled and dont have any choice about what I can buy to eat on my fixed income. Women have a choice whether to get pregnant and the idea of paying them even more money is ridiculous. They already get money and allowances, if you cant afford to provide for a child then dont have any....

Grumpy Old Man, Dover,

How about the 'person' who got them pregnant getting 120 Pounds as well.... guys need 'fruit and veggies' also...I call this ..dis-crime-a-nation.....only from political fruit cakes.....

tim mccarthy, san marcos, U S of A / Calif

Perhaps this money would be better spent educating the chain smoking binge drinking young women who are having children instead. As it is financially beneficial to have serial children, there are a good deal of 'unsuitable' parents around, they're not suddenly going to treat their pregnancy as something to be taken seriously. Besides which, the odd apple doesn't counteract the effect of cigarettes, cannabis or drink, does it? I do wish this stupid Government would stop wasting money.

Judy , Liverpool, england

While the concept maybe on the right tracks, its very unlikely a single payment of £120, will make a 'hoot' of difference.

Charles Linskaill, Edinburgh, UK

I think this is ridiculous. Those who eat properly anyway will spend it correctly but, others won't. More money down the drain. If you want to do right for your children & have little money, you cut down on the luxuries for yourself, you should NOT rely on handouts.

Jane, Warminster, England