Modelling shows vital impact of Scottish Government
policies.
The First Minister has welcomed analysis which estimates 100,000
children will be kept out of relative poverty in 2024-25 as a
result of Scottish Government policies.
Updated modelling of the cumulative impact of policies such as
the Scottish Child Payment indicates the relative child poverty
rate will be 10 percentage points lower than it would otherwise
have been.
Speaking after joining a
Book Bug session at Drum Brae Library Hub in Edinburgh with
the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Mr Yousaf highlighted
estimates in the report of the impact the UK Government could
have on child poverty, if it were to bring in selected welfare
changes alongside the Scottish Government’s actions.
These show that removing the two-child limit and reinstating the
family element in Universal Credit – worth £545 per family in
2017 – could lead to an estimated further 10,000 fewer children
in Scotland living in poverty in 2024-25. Meanwhile, introducing
an Essentials Guarantee to ensure Universal Credit is always
enough to meet people’s basic needs could lead to 30,000 fewer
children experiencing poverty.
The First Minister said:
"It is utterly unacceptable that, in 2024, children continue to
live in poverty in Scotland. That is why we have very
deliberately chosen to invest in our public services, and the
social contract which binds the Scottish Government to the people
we serve.
“From the introduction of the innovative and transformative
Scottish Child Payment – described as ‘game-changing’ by
frontline organisations and already improving the lives of so
many children and families across Scotland in real and immediate
ways – to investing £1 billion to tackle the poverty-related
attainment gap, continuing delivery of the Whole Family Wellbeing
programme, providing £50 million to develop and scale up holistic
family support and investing around £1 billion every year in high
quality early learning and childcare, ensuring Scotland delivers
the most generous funded childcare offer in the UK.
“The economic modelling published today estimates that the
actions we’re taking will mean the relative and absolute child
poverty rates will be 10 and 7 percentage points lower than they
would have otherwise been. That’s 100,000 children kept out of
relative poverty and 70,000 kept out of absolute poverty next
year. These are the lives of children across Scotland, in every
single community, being improved by the action we are taking.
“While we all know the challenging financial situation Scotland
faces, the Scottish Budget continues to prioritise tackling and
reducing child poverty. Against a backdrop of the UK Government’s
two-child limit and continued austerity, we are taking real
action to lift children out of poverty and improve their chances
in life.
“We know that the UK Government could lift a further 40,000
children out of poverty in Scotland this year if they made key
changes to Universal Credit. That includes introducing an
Essential’s Guarantee and scrapping the two child limit.
“Every child in Scotland deserves a life free of poverty and I
will continue to do everything in my power to make that a
reality.”
Background
CIA modelling report: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835219850
First Minister’s speech: Child poverty, economic
modelling: First Minister - 28 February 2024 - gov.scot
(www.gov.scot)
The First Minister joined a session of the Book Bug in Edinburgh
with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley Anne
Somerville.
