Meeting of the Parliament 05 February 2025
The number 1 priority for the Government is the eradication of child poverty. It is an aspiration that I would hope that every MSP shares, and it is why the Government’s motion seeks to be inclusive and recognise that there is more to do. We may differ on the proposed action that we take to get there, but ensuring that Scotland’s children grow up in a nation that is free from the scourge of poverty should be something on which all of us can find common cause.
Last week, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reported that Scotland’s child poverty rate is forecast to fall by January 2029,
“bucking the trend of rising ... poverty”
across
“the UK.”
That is clear evidence of the difference that our policies are making, but we know that more must be done.
The cornerstone of our Government’s approach has been investment in a more dignified and generous social security system. Our best start grants support families from birth and during the transition into nursery and primary school. Our Scottish child payment supports children up to the age of 16 and provides unparalleled financial support for families.
Such policies are helping to keep an estimated 100,000 Scottish children out of poverty this year alone. Next year, we will again invest more than £3 billion in policies across Government to tackle poverty and the cost of living crisis. Although the Scottish Government’s investments have provided a much-needed safety net for families that are on the brink of poverty, we should not be having to do that in 21st century Scotland.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report tells us that, by 2029, one in five children in Scotland will remain in poverty. In a wealthy country such as Scotland, that should shame us all. It is not good enough and it is why, collectively, all politicians, the Government, councils, services, the third sector and education systems alike must work together to eradicate child poverty. We all know that child poverty is different, because children are developing and are learning how to speak, play, read and write; fundamentally, they are learning how to communicate. Most of Scotland’s children encounter education services for the first time at the age of three. However, we know that the ages from zero to three are the formative years—they are the years that really matter.
Save the Children wrote to members ahead of the debate. I was struck that its briefing said:
“the poverty-related educational attainment gap is already well established before a child starts school ... we need to do more to make sure children from poorer backgrounds are not behind from day one.”
I welcome Save the Children’s intervention and the support that it has given the Government in funding the commitment to tackle the attainment gap.
The Scottish Government’s attainment challenge was a 10-year investment programme, which has transformed how we fund our schools. This morning, I visited Fair Isle primary school in Kirkcaldy.