Scottish Child Payment uplift backed by Holyrood committee

An increase and extension to the Scottish Child Payment has been backed by a parliamentary committee.

The weekly payment is set to increase by £5 to £25 from November 14, with applications also opening for those responsible for under-16s.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee voted in favour of regulations which would put the change into effect.

The regulations will now go before the Scottish Parliament for MSPs to cast a final vote.

Conservative MSP Jeremy Balfour raised concerns that children who turn six in October, before the extension, will “drop off the system and miss out on money”.

An automatic transfer scheme should be set up for them, he said.

Under the plans, new applications will have to be submitted for children who age out of the current payment for under-6s.

Mr Balfour said the parents of around 3,000 children will be notified to reapply.

Concerns were also raised about potential delays to the funds being received due to the expanded rollout.

Social security minister Ben MacPherson said the uplift will make a “significant difference” for many families.

He said: “These regulations before us today support the focus this Scottish Government has placed in tackling and reducing child poverty.”