Motion
Scottish Government Priorities: Eradicating Child Poverty
S6M-13566.2 · Amendment · lodged by O'Kane, Paul
Lodged on
10 Jun 2024Heard / answered on
11 Jun 2024Watch the chamber session on SPTV · lands on the meetings recorded on 11 Jun 2024
As an amendment to motion S6M-13566 in the name of John Swinney (Scottish Government Priorities: Eradicating Child Poverty), leave out from first "eradicating" to end and insert "child poverty should be a national mission for the Scottish Government, but deeply regrets that after 17 years of a Scottish National Party (SNP) administration, child poverty levels, after housing costs, have remained static, and that the most recent child poverty single-year statistics estimate that the number of children in Scotland living in poverty has now increased in 2022-23 to 260,000; acknowledges that the Poverty and Inequality Commission’s Scrutiny Report, published last week, provided a damning assessment of the SNP administration’s progress on tackling child poverty across a number of areas, noting that progress from the Scottish Government 'is slow or not evident at all'; disagrees with the Scottish Government’s decisions to slash the affordable housing budget, freeze the Scottish Welfare Fund, abandon parental employability schemes and decimate the Fuel Insecurity Fund, all of which act as barriers to prevent more children in Scotland falling into poverty; recognises that SNP inaction has been coupled with 14 years of dire economic mismanagement under the UK Conservative administration, which has led to increased child poverty rates across the UK; condemns the fact that, despite professing to tackle child poverty under successive First Ministers, child poverty is increasing, and the Scottish Government is now set to miss its interim reduction targets and its own legally-binding child poverty targets in 2030; urges the Scottish Government to heed the advice of its own expert advisors and take immediate and decisive action to reduce poverty across Scotland in the face of a decade of SNP inaction and failure, and welcomes the Labour Party’s plan to introduce a New Deal for Working People to deliver a real Living Wage, review Universal Credit and build a fairer social security system, tackle the cost of living crisis with a publicly owned clean energy company that would help to pay to keep bills down, paid for with a proper windfall tax on record oil and gas profits, deliver affordable public transport and housing support, end problem debt, and provide help and support for families and households across Scotland."
Backed by
Supported by 1 additional MSP
Lab 1
Lodged by
O'Kane, Paul
(Scottish Labour).
- Marra, Michael (Lab)
Amendment division result
11 Jun 2024
Defeated
Show MSPs
For
21Against
93Abstain
0Not voted
15In the Official Report
Debated in chamber — 2 contributions reference this
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Paul O’Kane
Lab
Chamber
· 11 Jun 2024 · Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2024
The First Minister will note that our amendment recognises that there is, of course, a UK context to what we are debating today. Through policy interventions at a UK level, we must do everything that…
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The Presiding Officer
NPA
Chamber
· 11 Jun 2024 · Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2024
The next question is, that amendment S6M-13566.2, in the name of Paul O’Kane, which seeks to amend motion S6M-13566, in the name of John Swinney, on Scottish Government priorities: eradicating child …
Amendments and how the chamber decided
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S6M-13566Original motion10 Jun 2024 · Motion For Debate · Swinney, JohnThat the Parliament agrees that eradicating child poverty is a national mission for the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and society; welcomes the progress made in delivering the Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026, with spend benefitting children in low-income households increasing to an estimated £...
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S6M-13566.2Selected itemDefeated 21/9310 Jun 2024 · Amendment · O'Kane, PaulAs an amendment to motion S6M-13566 in the name of John Swinney (Scottish Government Priorities: Eradicating Child Poverty), leave out from first "eradicating" to end and insert "child poverty should be a national mission for the Scottish Government, but deeply regrets that after 17 years of a Scottish National Party (SNP) administration, child poverty le...