Meeting of the Parliament 12 March 2026 [Draft]
I apologise for forgetting to put my card in.
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of the statement and for the accompanying documents. The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 put a legal requirement on the Scottish ministers to meet the 2030 target. The Scottish Government was committed to meeting the target, regardless of international events or decisions made at UK level. There were no conditions attached to that target.
Last year, it was confirmed that the interim target had been missed, after many warnings that that would happen. Although any reduction in child poverty is to be welcomed, the reality is that there will be a reduction of 1 per cent in 20 years in relative child poverty. Given the lack of progress in the past 10 years, does the cabinet secretary believe that meeting the 2030 target is still credible? The First Minister told people this week to judge him in 2031 if the target is missed, but we should recognise the impact of the failure to meet the interim target, which is resulting in Herculean efforts being required over the next four years.
The Poverty and Inequality Commission said that, to meet the 2030 target, we need three or four measures on the scale of the Scottish child payment. Does the cabinet secretary believe that the plan delivers that? The removal of the two-child cap by the UK Labour Government will have a positive effect. Significant funding earmarked for mitigation has also been released. What additional measures in the action plan has the money been used for? If the money had not been released, what resources were planned for the child poverty action plan?