Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 26 June 2019
26 Jun 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Tackling Child Poverty (Progress Report)
I give an absolutely unequivocal welcome to the measure. The fact that it will be implemented before the end of the parliamentary session is to be particularly welcomed.
We all know the reasons why there has been a substantial rise in child benefit claims—it is a result of the major cuts in social security benefits that have been imposed by the United Kingdom Government.
Will the cabinet secretary look again at the policy on the living wage as we move towards some kind of Brexit decision? One of the problems that we have is that, under European Union rules, we are not allowed to make it compulsory for companies gaining public sector contracts to pay the living wage. Given the new circumstances that are likely to arise over the next year or two, will the cabinet secretary look again at whether we will get to a position in which we can make that a requirement, as NHS Health Scotland has shown that that, too, would be an effective measure in dealing with child poverty?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by Aileen Campbell on the tackling child poverty delivery plan first-year progress report. The cabinet secretary wil...
The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
Twenty years ago, when this Parliament was reconvened, it was because the people of Scotland wanted their own Parliament to make their own decisions on the p...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement; I will allow around 30 minutes.
Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement and I look forward to engaging with the Government on the development of its content. I hav...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
In my statement I clearly set out the significant numbers that are associated with the policy. The most significant of those is the 30,000 children who will ...
Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the cabinet secretary for early sight of her statement. Scottish Labour will, of course, require to scrutinise the supplementary papers and the progr...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I would have thought that the measure that I have announced would have been welcomed by Labour, given that it asked for it and that we have made substantial ...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
I am absolutely delighted that the new payment is being introduced, because it will provide substantial support to people in my constituency and across Scotl...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I thank Rona Mackay for that question, because it gives me a chance to underline the investment that we are putting into the policy. In the first full year o...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
I thank the cabinet secretary for providing advance sight of her statement. Across the board, means-tested payments have lower rates of take-up than univers...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I explained that we will make sure that we maximise uptake. The qualifying benefits will be universal credit and universal credit legacy benefits, which incl...
Alex Neil (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
SNP
I give an absolutely unequivocal welcome to the measure. The fact that it will be implemented before the end of the parliamentary session is to be particular...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Alex Neil is absolutely right to point out that link. One of the drivers of poverty is low income. Alongside the payment, we have to ensure that people who a...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
I thank the Government for the content of today’s statement and offer the full support of these benches. I will ask about uptake, in the same vein as Alison ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Shirley-Anne Somerville has to report back, anyway. I mention some of the things that I said earlier about the best start grant. That received unprecedented ...
Shona Robison (Dundee City East) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, warmly welcome today’s announcement. The UN special rapporteur said that, for devolved Administrations, mitigation was not sustainable. Does the cabi...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I agree. What strikes me as puzzling is why there are groans coming from the Labour benches as a very legitimate question is asked. We are not content simpl...
Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
As the cabinet secretary stated, on Monday, the Government announced funding for impact assessments of community-based out-of-school care, which will commenc...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
The £3 million fund that we announced this week was designed to test new approaches to focus the care and support that is required to enable parents of schoo...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
We welcome the fact that the Government has listened to Labour and front-line poverty campaigners, who have consistently called for the early introduction of...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
We have set out a comprehensive analysis of why we have taken the approach that we have, which is the same approach that we have taken for the best start gra...
Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
SNP
Today’s announcement should be welcomed across the Parliament. What support does the cabinet secretary expect to get from other parties to ensure that the ne...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I underline what I said in my statement: this stands to be one of the most progressive policy proposals since devolution. Given that we are about to celebrat...
Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Can the cabinet secretary confirm whether the new regulations for payment of disability assistance to people with a terminal illness will be introduced in th...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Nothing has changed on that matter.
Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
SNP
I warmly welcome the statement and the substantial measures in it, and I am sure that my constituents in Greenock and Inverclyde will, too. Can the cabinet ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
We will continue to work hard across the whole of Government in recognition of the fact that a whole-Government approach is required to tackle child poverty....
Gordon Lindhurst (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Will the Scottish Government introduce primary or secondary legislation as a basis for the new Scottish child payment? If so, when might we expect to see that?
Aileen Campbell
SNP
We will take the matter forward through secondary legislation. Over the summer months, we will have an opportunity to explore all the things that we will nee...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
As we have heard, the Scottish child payment, which all my colleagues have welcomed this afternoon, will be both demand led and means tested. Can the ministe...