Cost of Living and Child Poverty

Addressing the cost of living crisis, tackling poverty and working towards our statutory targets to reduce child poverty are central to the Government’s priorities. They are central not just for me, as the new Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, but for the First Minister and all my Cabinet colleagues. That is, of course, reinforced in the policy prospectus that has been published and has just been discussed. The prospectus confirms that equality, opportunity and community will be the three critical and interdependent missions for the Government in 2026.

That is why, in his first days in the job, the First Minister focused on delivering for the people of Scotland by providing £15 million of funding to help low-income households with childcare, tripling our fuel insecurity fund to £30 million and announcing additional funding for our national health service to tackle health inequalities in our healthcare system.

The poverty and income inequality statistics that were published last month show that poverty levels remain too high. Although, in Scotland, they continue to be lower than the United Kingdom average, with relative child poverty six percentage points below that for the UK as a whole, they must be reduced further.

Of course, the analysis that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published today on rises in deep poverty further reinforced the devastating impact of the United Kingdom Government’s decade of austerity, welfare cuts and economic mismanagement. Analysis that the Scottish Government published last year highlighted that, were key welfare reforms introduced by the UK Government since 2015 to be reversed, that would lift an estimated 70,000 people, including 30,000 children, out of poverty this year.

Household finances are under strain, with soaring energy bills and food costs disproportionately hurting those on the lowest incomes. High inflation is heaping more pressure on to our public services, with the Scottish Government’s block grant being 4.8 per cent lower than it was in 2021-22. However, the Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets, which is why last year and this we have allocated almost £3 billion to support policies that tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the on-going cost of living crisis.

I know what a challenge reducing poverty is, particularly without the full powers of a normal Government, but we will ensure that we use all the powers that we have to tackle poverty and inequality, build a fairer Scotland and support those who are most in need during the cost of living crisis, and we will build the case for further powers so that we can have all the levers that we need to tackle the deep-seated and multigenerational child poverty that has blighted our country.

The second tackling child poverty delivery plan, “Best Start, Bright Futures: tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022 to 2026”, reaffirms our sharp focus on working with partners to support those who are at greatest risk of poverty, with 90 per cent of all children in poverty in Scotland living in the six priority families that were identified in our first plan. The second plan commits to wide-ranging and ambitious action to provide immediate support to families and deliver the transformational change that is needed in the longer term to break the cycle of child poverty that we have.

One clear example is the significant investment and increased support that we provide to families through Scottish Government benefits. Twelve of those benefits were upgraded by 10.1 per cent this month. Over 2022, the Scottish child payment, which is the only tackling-child-poverty benefit in the UK, was increased from £10 to £25 per week per child and extended to eligible children under 16. That represents an increase of 150 per cent in less than eight months and, in its first full year, it will be an investment of £442 million.

The Scottish Government has had to make hard choices and decisions with a limited budget and in some of the toughest financial circumstances imaginable. We have taken the political decision to prioritise increasing the child payment because it is a vital tool in tackling child poverty. The Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts that around 387,000 children will be eligible for the payment in 2023-24 and, based on modelling from March 2022, it is estimated that the payment will lift 50,000 children out of poverty this year.

It is a pleasure to work with Jeremy Balfour again. It is like the good old days, when I had responsibility for social security previously, and I am sure that we will pick up on some of those discussions.

He raises an important point about the challenges that Social Security Scotland has had following the expansion of the Scottish child payment. Of course, we have undertaken a massive expansion to ensure that everybody under 16 is included. The backlogs are being dealt with, and I have already had discussions with Social Security Scotland, which has reassured me that work is continuing on that. However, I am happy to have further discussions with Mr Balfour on the issue, because we all want the benefit to be a success and to get to people as soon as possible. I reassure him that the issue already has my attention and that of Social Security Scotland.

Our five family payments, which include the child payment, together with our best start grants and best start foods payment, could be worth around £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six, compared with the figure of around £1,800 that is available for eligible families in England and Wales.

It is therefore no surprise that poverty campaigners have called on the UK Government to introduce a similar benefit and match our ambitions on tackling child poverty. I echo that view, just as I agree with the calls that the UK Government should be doing much more to support people during the cost crisis, in which they face soaring inflation and spiralling energy bills. We have argued that the UK Government should be doing that but, unfortunately, it is not.

I will make slightly more progress, and then I will try to take another intervention.

We have already started delivery of our new winter heating payment to replace the cold weather payment provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, thereby providing a stable and reliable annual £50 that will help around 400,000 low-income families with heating expenses each winter. Our new benefit is expected to reach more than twice the number of people than did the DWP benefit that it replaced. It will be backed by £20 million every year and will provide vital support for energy costs. We also continue to recognise the vital contribution of unpaid carers in our society through our carers allowance supplement.

Important actions are being taken elsewhere in the Scottish Government that also impact on our mission to tackle child poverty. Scotland already has the most generous funded childcare programme in the UK. All three and four-year-olds and around a quarter of two-year-olds are eligible for 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, which is backed by investment of around £1 billion per year. If families paid for those hours themselves, it would cost them around £5,000 per child per year. We are working with partners to progress our childcare offer even further, with plans to expand early learning and childcare to one and two-year-olds. We have also committed £15 million this year towards building a system of year-round school-age childcare that is fully funded for those who need it most.

Alex Cole-Hamilton raises an important point. That is why we have worked with the DWP to ensure that, for the first time, we can use the information about who is eligible to contact people directly. That will be a very important stage for us and for local authorities in having the ability, for the first time, to be much more proactive about that. I am more than happy to work with the member on the issue, which I know that he and Willie Rennie have had discussions on in the past.

Moving on to travel, we continue to provide free bus travel for more than 2 million people, including all children and young people under 22, disabled people and everyone aged 60 or over. More than 50 million free bus journeys have been made by people under the age of 22 since our expansion of concessionary travel in January last year. That is another important saving for those with children.

How could I forget Stephen Kerr?

Well, well, Presiding Officer. Perhaps the gasps of disbelief from back-bench members were at a Tory member saying that we are dealing with mitigating the effects of poverty. Yes, we are, Mr Kerr. We are dealing with the UK Government’s economic mismanagement and its contempt for a minimum wage at genuinely real living wage standards. We are dealing with a UK Government that is not interested in dealing with the causes of poverty, as amply demonstrated by its welfare policies. [Interruption.] If Stephen Kerr is not interested in my view on the issue, perhaps he could listen to stakeholders’ views on it. We will continue to do everything that we can do within our limited powers; I only wish that his colleagues down south would do something remotely similar as well.

Housing is also vital in the fight against poverty and will be a focus for the Minister for Housing and me in this portfolio. An estimated 3,200 households with children have been helped into affordable housing in each year to March 2022. We will also, of course, continue working towards our target of providing 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.

Our next steps are very important in ensuring that our immediate priority is protecting people as much as possible. We have already tripled the fuel insecurity fund to £30 million. We know that food banks are not an appropriate or long-term solution to poverty. That is why we will soon publish a plan, grounded in human rights, that sets out further action that we will take towards ending the need for food banks. We recognise that employment can offer a route out of poverty for families. That is why we will continue to ensure that we invest in employability packages, too.

The Government is taking and will continue to take action that puts more money into the pockets of families and helps to turn the tide on poverty. We will do everything that we can within our powers and resources to substantially reduce child poverty. We have already delivered a range of measures that will help people right across Scotland. However, the key powers—including those on energy, employment and, still, much of social security—remain reserved to the UK Government, which must match our ambition.

Only with the full powers of a normal, independent nation can we eradicate child poverty fully. However, I look forward to hearing members’ contributions and their suggestions about how we can use the powers that we have now in our joint mission on child poverty.

I move,

That the Parliament commits to continuing the national mission on tackling child poverty; acknowledges that the most recent poverty statistics remain too high and that all levels of government must take action to reduce poverty and inequality in society; recognises the pressure being placed on household finances due to rising inflation, high energy bills and soaring increases to food costs, and that this cost of living crisis disproportionately impacts households on low incomes and is likely to exacerbate unacceptably high levels of child poverty; welcomes plans for an anti-poverty summit to guide future action on tackling poverty; acknowledges the significant action that the Scottish Government has already taken to tackle the cost of living and child poverty, including the tripling of the Fuel Insecurity Fund, expanding and increasing the value of the Scottish Child Payment and introducing new family benefits, mitigating the benefit cap as far as possible within devolved powers, the provision of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, and offering universal free school meals to all pupils in P1 to P5, and calls on the UK Government to match the ambition shown by the Scottish Government and reverse the harmful welfare reform policies implemented since 2015, which would lift an estimated 70,000 people, including 30,000 children, out of poverty in Scotland in 2023-24.

Miles Briggs has made some great points about the issues that families are facing, especially those with children who are living in poverty. Would he use the welcome summit that he has talked about to call for the abolition of the rape clause and the two-child cap?

Does the member have any of those competent and comprehensive solutions to present to us today?

A YouGov poll for StepChange Debt Charity has found that one in seven Scottish adults has £20 or less to live on after paying for essentials each and every month. That is a sobering thought as we debate child poverty. The low level of UK benefits, soaring inflation and food costs and crippling energy costs are among the clear and obvious factors that have led to that dreadful statistic. As we know, the cost of living crisis will hit children the most, with nearly one in four children in our nation living in poverty.

It matters that the policies of the UK Government—sometimes botched policies such as the Truss-Kwarteng budget, and sometimes deliberate acts of harm such as Brexit, the levels of UK benefits and the sanctions regime—have fuelled that cost of living crisis and have impacted detrimentally on child poverty. More consensually, it also matters what we do in this place, in Scotland’s Parliament, to tackle child poverty.

That is why the Scottish Government has placed our Scottish child payment front and centre in getting cash directly into the pockets of the poorest families in our nation. Around 387,000 children are eligible for the payment this year. Modelling work from last year estimates that the £25 per week per child—a £100 payment per child in a low-income family, every four weeks—will lift 50,000 children out of poverty and will reduce relative poverty by 5 per cent. I shudder to think what poverty levels would look like in Scotland right now if it was not for the Scottish payment.

It is telling that the many briefings from the third sector organisations, which are very welcome in preparation for this afternoon’s debate, focus on calls for a further increase in the Scottish child payment. That is a clear acknowledgement of the power and effectiveness of the SNP’s Scottish child payment and of the real difference that it makes to many families in my constituency of Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn and right across Scotland. They call for an increase because it works.

Ahead of the launch of our new Scottish child payment, the call from the third sector was for a non-targeted £5 per week. The Scottish Government engaged with the third sector and, today, we have not a non-targeted universal benefit but a targeted benefit of £25 per week. When the Government works with the third sector, we get a good, positive outcome and real success.

I therefore warmly welcome the plans for an anti-poverty summit. It will not just be words; it will deliver action, because the evidence is there from what the Scottish Government has done previously. Just as our Scottish Government listened to those with lived experience of poverty and the third sector organisations that support them and delivered the transformational Scottish child payment in the first instance, we must do so once again, sharing ideas and suggestions about how we can improve lives that are blighted by poverty.

We have done lots of things other than the Scottish child payment, but I am not going to list those, because any summit or cross-party discussion must surely be about what we would do next. We do not have a bottomless pit of cash so, if we had cash, how would we spend it? Here are some ideas.

We know that there are calls for the Scottish child payment to go up to £40 per week. Is that affordable? If it is not affordable, should we look at a summer supplement? We know that the summer months of July and August are cripplingly difficult for low-income families, so should we have a summer supplement for the Scottish child payment in July and August? We should discuss that idea at the summit and beyond.

I am a dad. I am fortunate that I can afford to clothe my children. However, I know the importance of the child clothing grant in giving me a school uniform to wear when I went to school.

I also know how often kids rip their trousers or grow out of their clothes, so it is welcome that the clothing grant has increased to at least £120 for children at primary school, and at least £150 for secondary school students. However, is once a year enough? Do we have to think about a second clothing grant? I am not saying where the money comes from for that but am suggesting ideas for spending money if it was available.

We cannot spend the same pound twice. Let us have a frank discussion about where the best investment would be to deliver the outcomes that we want in tackling child poverty.

What about free school meals? They are universal for P1 to P5 and are soon to be universal for P6 and P7. I say to the cabinet secretary that we have to deliver on that as soon as possible. If some local authorities are ready to go now but others are not, can those that are ready be allowed to go now? If they can find that cash now, why should they have to wait? In addition, what about secondary schools? What are we going to do there in the future? We should think in the medium to long term for those, too.

Finally, in the time that I have left, I mention the poverty-related attainment gap in education. We have to start looking at outcomes as well as educational qualifications. I am therefore delighted to see record positive destinations for kids from low-income backgrounds—in fact, for kids right across the country. I am delighted that we are ahead of schedule in getting the 20 per cent of children from the most deprived backgrounds represented in our higher education system. We are ahead of schedule in doing that for 2030. However, the role of colleges is crucial, and their funding is under pressure. I will leave it there, Presiding Officer. That is something else that we have to look at.

Will the member give way?

Does Stephen Kerr think that indebtedness is a huge pressure that leads to the breakdown of families? The UK welfare regime may perhaps contribute to indebtedness occurring in the first place.

The most recent poverty statistics are not acceptable. We are a wealthy nation with all the resources required to ensure an equal and fair childhood for all. One child having their health, development and wellbeing impacted by poverty is one too many, but the fact that one in four children in Scotland find themselves in a situation where their future life chances are being impacted is at the forefront of my mind as I make my remarks and support calls for bold action. The Conservative member who just spoke might think that it is pessimism, but I feel that it is more empathy.

Bold action is needed from all spheres of government to eradicate poverty and inequality in our society. Pressure is being placed on all household finances due to rising inflation, high energy bills and soaring increases to food costs. Families who were previously managing are finding themselves increasingly struggling. We also know that the cost of living crisis disproportionately impacts households on low incomes and is likely to exacerbate those unacceptably high levels of child poverty if we do not come together and take further bold action.

I acknowledge the significant actions that the Scottish Government has already taken to tackle the cost of living crisis and child poverty. Bob Doris was correct to get us to imagine what things would be like if there was no child payment, for example. Those actions include the First Minister’s pledge to triple the fuel insecurity fund to support anyone at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing of their energy use as well as expanding and increasing the value of the Scottish child payment and introducing new family benefits.

The five family payments, including the Scottish child payment, could be worth around £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six, compared to around £1,800 for eligible families in England and Wales, and more than £20,000 by the time an eligible child is 16. Of course, there is also the provision of funded early learning and childcare and the offer of free, good-quality meals to all pupils in primary 1 to P5. Those things make a real difference and have been welcomed by anti-poverty campaigners.

Speaking about the Scottish Government’s budget, Satwat Rehman of One Parent Families Scotland said:

“We are heartened to see that the Scottish Government has listened to several important calls from anti-poverty organisations, such as increasing taxes for the wealthiest to raise funds for public services ... We are also pleased that the government is raising benefits in line with inflation, which is the right thing to do and will make a real difference for low-income families who are being snowed under by rising costs”.

Peter Kelly from the Poverty Alliance stated:

“The principles that are embedded into the social security system in Scotland ... I think is particularly important. The principle around making a contribution to reducing poverty in particular I think is an important principle”.

Undoubtedly, the progress that the Scottish Government has made is being hindered by the devastating impact of the UK Government’s decade of austerity and welfare cuts. The UK Government has full economic and fiscal powers that it could use to make a real difference to the lives of so many. For example, it could make use of borrowing, provide more benefits and support households, introduce taxation of windfall profits and regulate the energy market.

The latest UK budget was a huge missed opportunity to help people. The reality is that the UK Government could have done far more to ease the burden on so many of our citizens, but it has chosen not to act.

The starkest example of the bind that we find ourselves in with the current constitutional set-up is that although the Scottish Government is increasing and expanding the Scottish child payment, the UK Government decided to cut universal credit. The UK Tory Government has also brought us the frankly illogical two-child limit and its accompanying repugnant rape clause, the benefit cap, the five-week wait, sanctions and over a decade of austerity.

The Scottish Government will spend up to £84 million in 2023-24 on discretionary housing payments to mitigate the bedroom tax, benefit cap and on-going freeze of the local housing allowance. That is estimated to help more than 4,000 families and around 14,000 children to meet their housing costs. Even those who do not believe in Scottish independence surely must occasionally wonder what we could do if we did not have to invest so much in protecting Scottish people from cruel UK Government policies.

It is astounding to be asked that question when I have just let members know how much money is being spent on mitigating Tory policies. I am astounded. I do not understand that.

Here is something that may be of interest. Reversing those welfare reforms would put £780 million into the pockets of Scottish households and lift 70,000 people, including 30,000 children, out of poverty in 2023-24.

I mentioned that all spheres of government need to act in the face of this cost crisis, but I also want to add my voice to those of anti-poverty campaigners who are calling on the Scottish Government to go even further with the game-changing child payment and are asking for an increase to £40 a week as soon as possible. Research from Save the Children, the Trussell Trust and the Institute for Public Policy Research shows that that action could lift 30,000 children out of poverty, so it would help the Parliament meet our 2030 child poverty targets.

While we are working to do that, let us not forget that those targets are about improving the life chances of individual children across Scotland: children who deserve an equal and fair childhood.

There is no denying that the impact that poverty has on families is being felt more than ever. The term “working poor” does not sit particularly well with me, but it has become more prominent. We are seeing in-work poverty, with individuals and families who are in work being left unable to make their pay packets stretch to meet all their needs. Those who were only just able to cope and make ends meet are now struggling completely with the cost of living crisis. Those who were already struggling are completely devastated. With increases in food prices, energy, utilities and other essential costs, which have mainly been brought on by the heartless UK Government, economic insecurity is being felt by everyone. However, the burden has, of course, fallen disproportionately on the already vulnerable—on lone parents, those with disabilities, carers, older people and, perhaps most of all, children.

It is shocking that 69 per cent of children in relative poverty live in working households—that has been emphasised already. As many will know, my Coatbridge and Chryston constituency is no stranger to the impact of child poverty. As I have said in Parliament before, I do not think that that is at all fair on children and families in postindustrial communities such as mine that have experienced the multigenerational poverty that the cabinet secretary referred to.

Let us make no bones about it—communities in Lanarkshire and elsewhere were very much still recovering from the Tory-inflicted deindustrialisation of the 1980s when the current cost of living crisis was inflicted on us. The Tories laugh, but many of us lived through that—Tory Governments put us down and then, just as we were making our way up again, they came in to deal yet another blow. Conservative Governments are no friend of communities such as Coatbridge and Chryston, which is perhaps why few people in my constituency would even consider voting Conservative.

Thankfully, unlike in the 1980s, we now have a devolved Government of our own and we have been able to mitigate some of the damage. It was heartening to hear Stephen Kerr acknowledge the measures that the Scottish Government has taken to mitigate the impact of his party’s policies. The Scottish Government has used and continues to use our limited powers and budget to break the cycle of poverty but, without Scottish independence to uncouple us from this destructive Westminster Government, we remain limited.

I was not going to take an intervention from a Conservative on this issue but, as I mentioned Stephen Kerr, I will take an intervention from him.

The new First Minister, in one of his first acts, is ensuring that the Scottish Government triples the fuel insecurity fund to £30 million to support anyone who is at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use. Thousands more low-income families will also benefit from free school-age childcare as part of a £15 million investment to help to tackle child poverty.

As my colleagues have said, one of the things that we can be most proud of as a Parliament is the Scottish child payment, which has made a huge impact on families in my constituency and across the country. As has been said, the payment has been expanded to eligible six to 15-year-olds and has been increased in value to £25 per child per week. About 387,000 children are now forecast to be eligible in 2023-24, and it is estimated on the basis of modelling that it will lift 50,000 children out of poverty and reduce relative child poverty by five percentage points. I agree with the call from the charities that Ruth Maguire and Bob Doris mentioned that it would be a good move to increase the payment further, because it works and would provide further help.

Given the large number of children in my constituency who live in poverty, it is perhaps no surprise that there are excellent and innovative examples of groups and charities that work tirelessly to make sure that no children go without. As I have done before, I will take a bit of time to pay tribute to some of those organisations.

Cool School Uniforms is a uniform bank that Julie O’Byrne and Anne Cully set up a few years ago in Coatbridge. The charity has grown exponentially and it works tirelessly to ensure that no child goes to school without warm, clean and suitable clothing. I have a strong interest in the subject, which I have asked many questions about and held round-table discussions on, so I will be interested to hear how the new Government plans to expand our school uniform policy from the current one-off payment of £120, which Bob Doris highlighted.

St Augustine’s Outreach, which ran under the name of the stay connected project during the pandemic, is also doing wonderful work. It helps with all aspects of life by providing furniture, a clothing bank and a pantry; it ran a successful toy appeal at Christmas; it offers financial support for energy through Payzone; it has made up toiletry bags to tackle hygiene poverty; and it most recently had a warm space in the evenings that provided free soup and hot drinks. Over the cold months, many organisations in my area opened up warm rooms, which let people who could not afford to put on their heating come in for a wee drink and a chat in a welcoming environment.

I always mention Coatbridge Community Foodbank, which is an absolutely fantastic organisation, as is Moodiesburn Community Foodbank. I agree with Claire Baker that food banks are seeing demand soar. The fact that we require such places is absolutely atrocious, and I make no apology for saying, as I have said before, that that is all down to the UK Tory Government’s heartless incompetence. However, I am glad that we have such kind and caring people in our communities who come together to mitigate the situation and offer assistance in such difficult times. I am happy to end there.

I call Maggie Chapman, who joins us remotely.

I call James Dornan, who joins us remotely.

According to the Institute for Government, the cost of living crisis refers to the fall in real disposable incomes due to rising inflation and taxes. It goes on to say that the UK has been in crisis since late 2021, although it seems to many people that we have lurched from one crisis to another for a lot longer than that and that they have been under severe financial pressure since well before late 2021.

Despite those facts, the inaction of the uncaring and out-of-touch Tory Government has been, even by the Tories’ miserable standards, truly woeful. It is difficult to understand what reality they inhabit when, only the other day, after the International Monetary Fund reiterated its forecast that the UK economy will shrink this year, which will cause further hardship for hundreds of thousands of already hard-pressed families and businesses, that was welcomed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer as evidence that things are working. They clearly are not, and the UK Government has nothing to offer us. It has no ideas and no plans—nothing.

In contrast, the UK Government is happy to continue to provide tax breaks to the top 1 per cent while raising taxes for the poorest in our society. Let us be clear: the UK Government is not the solution to the cost of living crisis; it caused it. It failed to grow the economy while in power, added 10 years of austerity and got us trapped in a cycle of low wages coupled with higher taxes to pay for overstretched public services that have been weakened by a decade of cuts, which has left us all worse off. Many people are struggling from one day to the next, and more and more families, including children, are being pushed into poverty. It truly is scandalous.

Barnardo’s recent report, “At what cost?”, highlights the fact that

“Children in the most vulnerable and precarious circumstances will be among those most exposed to the cost-of-living crisis”.

The report states:

“Families with nothing left to cut back on are no longer having to choose between heating or eating—instead they’re unable to afford either.”

It also found that more than half of parents have been forced to cut back on food spending for their family over the past 12 months. One in five parents said that they struggled to provide sufficient food due to the current cost of living crisis, and more than a quarter of parents said that their child’s mental health had worsened due to the situation. Parents admitted to resorting to desperate measures, with a quarter having sold possessions and one in five having taken on new credit cards, extra debt or a payday loan. It is estimated that, throughout the UK, more than one in four children now live in poverty, and the situation is getting worse by the day.

I will respond to Claire Baker’s points. Child poverty levels in Scotland might well be stuck at 24 per cent for the time being, but the levels are worse everywhere else. They have got worse during the period in which our mitigations have helped to at least keep the levels steady. That is nowhere near good enough—not at all—but at least we have not allowed the situation to get worse with the minimal powers that we have.

Rather than defending the UK Government’s abysmal record, Opposition parties should acknowledge some fundamental truths. The Scottish Parliament does not have many of the powers that are pivotal to tackling low wages, low growth, high inflation and high overall taxation. Those powers are controlled and closely guarded by the UK Government, but we need them. We could use those powers to build on the measures that the Scottish Government has taken to tackle the crisis with the limited powers at our disposal.

Perhaps someone should explain to Paul O’Kane the difference between the powers that Labour had in 1997 and the situation that I have just described. Despite his view, that shows the benefit of being an independent nation.

Our latest programme for government, which was brought in under our previous First Minister and will be carried forward by our existing First Minister, sets out a number of measures. Those include the Scottish child payment, the new winter heating payment, the doubling of the fuel insecurity fund and the widening of eligibility for the tenant grant fund—there are lots of measures there.

If people do not believe that the Scottish Government is truly making a difference, they should listen to Paul Lewis from the BBC’s “Money Box” programme, when he says that things are better in Scotland due to Holyrood’s use of devolved powers over tax and benefits. In a column for the Radio Times, he said:

“I once coined the acronym Tabis—Things Are Better in Scotland—as a shorthand for the forward-looking social policies of that country. And it gets truer all the time. Over the past 25 years devolution has given Scotland limited but growing independence over its social security and tax policies. And they are better.”

He once coined the term TABIS—things are better in Scotland. Wow! Of course, people would never believe that when they read our newspapers or listen to opponents telling us day after day how things are better anywhere else and everywhere but Scotland. Who to believe?

Given the UK Government’s inaction and the predictions that the crisis is set to continue, if not get worse, there is a real need for us all to do more. That is why I welcome the initiative that is set out in today’s motion, and particularly the plans to hold an anti-poverty summit to guide future action on tackling poverty. I would welcome it if the cabinet secretary, in responding to the debate, took the opportunity to provide us with more details of the proposed summit, including the timescale for delivery and whether local organisations will be able to participate in person or in writing. No one knows better the issues affecting a local community than those who belong to and work in it.

It is clear that there is still so much more for us all to do. Far too many people, particularly children, still live in poverty. I have lived through the stress, the anger, the heartbreak and the break-ups that poverty brings to families, particularly those with young children. Nothing is more debilitating to people’s self-esteem than the struggle to find the money to buy uniforms or new shoes or, as previously stated, having to decide whether to eat or heat. I therefore urge my colleagues from across the chamber to pledge to support any move to gain the full levels of power that are required to tackle all the areas that impact on child poverty. Only then can we truly say that we have done all that we can for those who need us the most.

Will Jeremy Balfour comment on the impact of UK Government welfare policies on pushing children into poverty, and on how many people the decrease of £20 in universal credit pushed into poverty?

As I looked up at the public gallery earlier today, I observed the expressions and reactions of the young people who were attending the Parliament, as young people often do. The young people whom I saw today were about the age that I was when this Parliament opened. At that time, we could feel the excitement and the determination to create a more socially just society and a better politics.

I still feel that optimism today, despite the challenging times that we have been through together. As I said when I first spoke to this Parliament in 2016, we share a determination for and

“a hope of a better Scotland.”—[Official Report, 26 May 2016; c 81.]

That was manifested when we passed the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, when we committed together to targets to tackle child poverty. The onus is, of course, in many ways on the Government, but the responsibility to meet the targets is all of ours.

We have heard from members across the chamber that poverty is wrong. It is wrong; it does not need to exist here in our country in the way that it does, and we can make the changes in our constituencies to ensure that, in generations to come, the MSPs who sit in this chamber do not face the same challenges in relation to poverty that we do today. I certainly want to see that for my constituents, and I know that every other member here does, too.

We share the responsibility not just for action but for how we got here. Yes, it is fair and reasonable in our democracy for the Opposition to critique and criticise the Government’s positions and decisions, but it is a fact that the decisions of decades past have an impact on where we are now. It is a fact that the mandate that the Labour Party had during the new Labour years could have been used to greater effect. It is a fact that the coalition Government between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives brought about austerity measures that have had an impact on poverty. It is a fact that Brexit has made our economy poorer.

Those circumstances, the shared challenges that we faced together with regard to the Covid pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine have all had an impact for which we share responsibility. That is the context and those are the challenges that we share.

However, we will not benefit from a tribal approach as we go forward, and, in that spirit, it is right that we critique where we are now. We do that better by acknowledging success when it is achieved and by putting forward constructive suggestions about how we move forward, considering where power lies in terms of the Parliaments and constitutional framework of this country.

The achievements of Social Security Scotland are remarkable, and I feel proud and privileged to have been part of that project for some time as a minister. Those achievements are down to a huge number of officials who do remarkable work day in, day out to serve people, which they do really well.

There are practical challenges when it comes to undertaking new constitutional responsibilities and delivering new services. That is a reality, and we do better as democrats to be realistic about that challenge, as well as to be ambitious. Therefore, criticising the Scottish Government for delay because of the pandemic or being unfairly negative about the Government’s delivery of social security since the Smith commission and the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 does not serve well any constituents who we represent.

The Scottish child payment is a hugely impactful policy, and it is one that the cabinet secretary conceived when she was the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People. We all know the impact that it is having. If members go around any communities in the constituencies that they represent, they will hear people feeding back about the difference that the payment and its increase by 150 per cent has made, especially at this time. We should be proud of that achievement and build on it.

In that spirit, I would like to make two small suggestions on the way forward for the Government and Parliament to consider. I welcome the appointment of the Minister for Housing because it is an important remit, particularly at the moment. I urge the Government to consider whether more direct capital spending can be allocated to high-pressure housing areas such as here in the capital city, where the demand for social housing is extraordinarily high and has been for some time. I look forward to constructive engagement on that as well as a continuance of measures around how we bring about a better deal for tenants. I also welcome the Government’s commitments on that.

To the Parliament, I say this: there has been a lot of discussion today about work and what we can do to help people to make the journey out of poverty. We can surely collaborate behind a call for employment law and in-work benefits such as universal credit to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Think of the impact that we could make together to address poverty in our country if we had those extra levers. There is a shared enthusiasm in the Parliament for that, so let us collaborate and make it happen in the shared spirit of a national mission to tackle poverty in our country. Surely that is something that we can get behind to achieve good outcomes. Would that not be a wonderful thing?

We now move to closing speeches and I call Alex Cole-Hamilton to speak on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, I thought that you were concluding.

I now call Daniel Johnson to wind up on behalf of Scottish Labour.

I recall hearing members from all parties giving ideas of what they would do further to tackle poverty in Scotland. Daniel Johnson has not given any policies or ideas yet—could he give some?

Will the member take an intervention?

Diddums.

I thank members on all sides of the chamber for their contributions. It would be fair to say that we have not agreed on everything, but in the main the debate has been constructive. I think that it shows that every member in the Parliament has the best interests of the Scottish people and the people of Scotland at heart; we just disagree sometimes on how to take that forward.

As part of that, it is important that—as the First Minister said during his statement—this Government reaches out to those in opposition in the chamber, and reaches out again to stakeholders and in particular those with lived experience, to ensure that we work together to tackle child poverty and poverty as a whole. That is why the anti-poverty summit is important. I hope that, despite the cynicism and scepticism among some about that summit, Opposition leaders, or at least spokespeople, will take up the offer to attend. In the spirit of those types of meetings, I am happy to look at any invite that comes in from Miles Briggs on the issue of life-shortening illnesses, in particular among children.

During the debate, there has—quite rightly—been critique and criticism of what the Government has done and what it is determined to do. However, I think that it is important to challenge very strongly the insinuation that the First Minister lacks ambition in this area. He has been in post for just a few weeks and we have already had announcements of further increases to the fuel insecurity fund; a discussion on childcare and investment in it; information on the just transition and funds for energy transition; and further additional funding of £1 million to tackle health inequalities. Those are just some of the issues that have already been addressed, on top of what has been presented in the statement today.

We have demonstrated that through the important work on the pathfinder initiatives. I say to Daniel Johnson that he rose to the challenge that Bob Doris gave him and presented some ideas. A number of members presented ideas, and I say to all of them that, whether those ideas are for further work on childcare, the insulation aspects that Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned or other areas, I am more than happy—as is the First Minister—to hear constructive comments and thoughts about how we can take them forward.

This is the start of that dialogue but, although I am happy to meet Opposition spokespeople individually on some of the initiatives that they have discussed, I hope that the next step will be for us to talk about the important issue of how we fund those. As we look at what we can do, we must have a realistic debate about how that can happen within the Government. I am not closing those ideas off at this point; I simply say, “Absolutely—let’s meet and get down to the detail, past the top lines that we have had the opportunity to discuss today, and talk about how much some of those initiatives cost and where that money comes from.”

We can look at the work that the Government has already done. The Scottish child payment is but one example—it has increased by 150 per cent in eight months. As a result, we will see a reduction in relative child poverty by about 5 per cent in 2023-24.

However, context is everything, and people, particularly the Scottish Conservatives, may criticise the Government for pointing to it, but it is a matter of fact that, while we make decisions on the Scottish child payment, decisions that are taken elsewhere push children and families into poverty. We will do what we can with the powers that we have to lift them out of poverty, but when the UK Government makes changes to welfare reforms and reduces universal credit by £20 a week, that pushes the same people back into poverty. We cannot ignore that, because to do so would be a dereliction of our duties and responsibilities.

This is the start of a dialogue. We get criticised for the fact that we are debating poverty measures again, but we also get criticised for not debating poverty measures enough. I am not entirely sure whether we are talking about it too much or whether we are not talking about it enough, but the Government will continue to reach out and speak to people, and we will also continue to make a real change in people’s lives.

Another aspect that we have talked about is the impact of high energy costs. It is a deep disappointment that the UK Government has ended the energy bill support scheme. The people of Scotland are living in that context. We will do what we can through the child winter heating allowance, winter heating payments and the fuel insecurity fund, for example.

Many members mentioned housing and homelessness—quite rightly—and we are taking those issues forward as a priority. The minister for housing will continue important work to achieve the vision that is set out in the ending homelessness together action plan so that everyone in Scotland can have a settled home that is high quality and affordable, and that will be supported with funding of £100 million.

Employment is also a very important aspect that we need to talk about. To truly tackle poverty, we must ensure that we have long-term, sustainable improvement to household income; that means people in employment with good, fair wages. That is why the Government supports the real living wage, unlike the UK Government, which has a national living wage that is too low and does not reflect the cost of living. During his very informed speech, Ben Macpherson once again suggested the devolution of employment law. We should look at that.

The one point on which I have consensus with Stephen Kerr is that we should look at the causes of poverty, but I say respectfully to him that one of the root causes of poverty in Scotland lies with the Scottish Conservatives because of the impact that the UK Government has on Scottish people.

As we look to what more we can do, we will hold the poverty summit, because it is important that we listen more to people and that we pull in the talents and expertise not only within the Scottish Government—my party—but across the chamber and in local government, national Government, business and the third sector. They should all work together. We also need to challenge ourselves on how innovative we can be, through our commitment to the minimum income guarantee, for example.

I am also looking forward to my work with the Scottish Greens, and with Maggie Chapman, in particular. I am sure that she and I can build the same positive, constructive relationship that I had with my friend and colleague Ross Greer working on education. I look forward to working with her on mitigation which, unfortunately, the Government has to deal with a lot due to the context that we are in.

A number of members—Pauline McNeill, Fulton MacGregor and Ruth Maguire—raised important points about intergenerational poverty and those who are struggling most; that is very important and we need to look at it.

Some members are still concerned about the make-up of the Government and the fact that there is no social security minister; well, can I introduce you to the social security minister? She is right here; she is in the Cabinet and she is dealing with social security. I remember that, when Ben Macpherson got into post, he was criticised for being a junior minister because we had demoted the issue, and now people are somehow concerned that the role is back at Cabinet level again. Can we get some perspective that this is a priority for Government? It will continue to be a priority for me.

I say respectfully to Jeremy Balfour—who I have worked well with in the past and hope to work with again in future—that, although he is here to hold the Scottish Government to account, he is also here to represent the people of Scotland. That means standing up against the UK Government, Jeremy, when it does things wrong. My goodness in my area it does plenty wrong to criticise.

I am afraid that I have to close, or I genuinely would have taken the intervention. My apologies, Jeremy.

The Government has vowed to do everything that it can do tackle poverty. We will continue to work closely with our partners in local government, the third sector, businesses and communities to listen to people—particularly those with direct experience—and we will continue to do everything that we can to build a better Scotland for us all by making our communities and households more resilient and able to flourish by ensuring that everyone in the country has a bright future.