Swinney told ‘political courage’ needed to meet child poverty targets

John Swinney has been told “political courage” is needed to tackle child poverty, with a warning that without such action Scotland could miss its targets by “a very wide margin”.

The Poverty and Inequality Commission has published a report outlining the advice it has given to the Government to inform its third delivery plan for tackling child poverty.

The commission has made 14 recommendations and said ministers need to “act urgently” to have a chance of meeting their child poverty targets.

The report calls for the Scottish child payment to be increased, with eligibility expanded to include children aged 16 to 19 in full-time education.

The Scottish Government has set legal targets to reduce child poverty in Scotland.

The targets aim for less than 10% of children to be in relative poverty by 2030, with under 5% in absolute poverty, in combined low income and material deprivation and in persistent poverty.

Commission chairman Professor Stephen Sinclair said there is a “chasm” between the Government’s “intent and outcomes”.

He said: “The Scottish Government has demonstrated a continued commitment to eradicating child poverty, underlined by the First Minister restating it as the most important policy objective for his Government.

“Its actions, particularly the Scottish child payment, have had a direct and positive impact on children’s wellbeing and child poverty rates.

“But the time until the targets need to be met is now short and urgent action is imperative. The commission has made numerous recommendations over the years about the action needed to meet the targets, but there remains a chasm between the Scottish Government’s stated intent and outcomes.”

While acknowledging some areas of employment policy are reserved to the UK Government, the commission called on the Scottish Government to remove barriers faced by adults seeking work.

It aid these barriers include the cost, availability and accessibility of childcare, and transport.

The commission said meeting the 2030 target will need bold policies and “very significant” investment.

Mr Sinclair said: “Meeting the targets is likely to require three or four bold policies/actions, along with several more specific smaller-scale actions.

“Political courage is now needed if we are not to miss the targets by a very wide margin. The truth is, Scotland cannot afford to allow child poverty to continue.”

The commission is also calling on the UK Government to change policies that shape child poverty in Scotland where devolved powers are not accessible by the Scottish Government.

It suggests multiple changes the UK Government could make, including an end to the two-child limit and benefit cap, removing or reducing the five-week wait for universal credit, improving access to work for disabled parents, and supporting a pilot in Scotland to let asylum-seekers work.

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “I welcome the advice and recommendations from the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which shine a light on the positive impact of our policies. Our top priority is to eradicate child poverty and Scotland is the only part of the UK where child poverty rates fell in the last year.

“Policies like the Scottish child payment are critical to our mission, helping parents to give their kids the best start in life while providing the essentials, like clothes and healthy meals.

“But early next year, we’re going further by mitigating the UK Government’s cruel two-child limit, a policy that pulls 109 children into poverty every day. The UK Government must urgently scrap this punitive policy, alongside its damaging benefits cap.

“Elsewhere, we recognise that parents want to work but that the cost of childcare can act as a barrier to employment. That’s why families can access more than £6,000 in early learning and childcare support for each eligible child.

“We will publish our third child poverty delivery plan by the end of March next year which will set out the actions to be taken between 2026 and 2031 to drive further progress toward Scotland’s child poverty targets.”

The UK Government have been approached for comment.