On 22 September the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission published Tackling child poverty.
The briefing says:
"The key policy actions to reduce child poverty in Scotland rest with the UK Government, the Scottish Government and local government. The Scottish Government’s second child poverty delivery plan sets out a more joined-up approach across central and local government and with their partners. There now needs to be detailed joint planning between the Scottish Government and local government to deliver the actions and evaluate their impact".
Read the briefing on Audit Scotland's website.
Information about the Public Audit Committee's consideration of the briefing can be found below.
The Committee took evidence from:
Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; Tricia Meldrum, Senior Manager; Corrinne Forsyth, Senior Auditor, Performance Audit and Best value, Audit Scotland; and Andrew Burns, Member, Accounts Commission.
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 6 October 2022
Read the Official Report, 6 October 2022
Read the meeting minutes, 6 October 2022
Decision: The Committee agreed to hold a roundtable evidence session at a future meeting.
The Committee took evidence in a roundtable format from:
Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland; Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland; John Dickie, Director, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland; Paul Johnston, Director-General Communities, Scottish Government; Hanna McCulloch, National Co-ordinator, Local Child Poverty Action Reports, Improvement Service; Ryan McQuigg, Campaigns, Advocacy and Policy Adviser, Action for Children; Bill Scott, Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission; and Matthew Sweeney, Policy Manager, Children and Young People, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
Read the agenda and meeting papers, 10 November 2022
Read the Official Report, 10 November 2022
Read the meeting minutes, 10 November 2022
Decision: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government on issues raised during the meeting.
Decision: The Committee noted at its meeting on 9 February 2023, correspondence from Paul Johnston, Director-General Communities, Scottish Government and agreed to write to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee and close it scrutiny of the report, Tackling child poverty.