Official Report 1136KB pdf
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-14683, in the name of Paul O’Kane, on challenge poverty week 2024. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises Challenge Poverty Week 2024, which is coordinated by the Poverty Alliance, Scotland’s anti-poverty network, and runs from 7 to 13 October; notes that activities, events and actions will take place across Scotland, including in the West Scotland region, which will be aimed at increasing public support for tackling poverty and highlighting the realities of, and solutions to, poverty; acknowledges that Challenge Poverty Week 2023 was the biggest yet, with over 500 organisations taking part; notes that the week emphasises the need for fair funding for the third sector and the importance of a number of key policy asks, including across housing, transport, adequate incomes and food, to help unlock people from the grip of poverty; understands that 21% of people, and 24% of children, are living in the grip of poverty; notes the view that governments, elected members, civil society and communities all have a role to play in solving poverty; is concerned that particular groups of people, including women, lone parents, disabled people and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, are disproportionately experiencing poverty; considers that people in Scotland believe in compassion, justice and ending poverty; celebrates the work undertaken by organisations and communities across Scotland to stem what it sees as the rising tide of poverty, and notes the calls for MSPs to attend and support events and activities in their constituencies and regions as part of what it believes is this important campaign.
12:48
I am pleased to bring to the chamber this debate to mark challenge poverty week 2024, and I thank members of all parties who signed the motion to allow the debate to take place. It is an important symbol of the cross-party consensus that really ought to govern how we debate in Parliament issues with regard to tackling poverty in all its forms. Although we will disagree on policy, it is important that Parliament is united in debating these issues, because we know that poverty in Scotland remains unacceptably high. The “Poverty in Scotland 2024” report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights that very deep poverty in Scotland is up to 40 per cent, having surged since the mid-1990s, and that 240,000 children still languish in poverty; rates of child poverty remain static, as so much research has now demonstrated.
There is much work to be done across all spheres of Government, in the Parliament and in the Scottish Government, but I also recognise the role of the United Kingdom Government and of local government in that work. In a previous debate this week, I said that it was important that the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice both launched the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report together on Monday, and responded together, thinking about how they could embark on a new partnership for how we tackle poverty.
I do not want to relitigate too heavily the politics of the issue, some of which we have heard about this week, but I hope that the debate ends up being the discussion that we should have had in Government time earlier in the week, which the Government chose not to have. It is important that, in challenge poverty week, we show our respect to the third sector organisations and anti-poverty campaigners that put in so much to this week and all year round to ensure that the issues are at the forefront of our agenda in Parliament.
This week provides a vital point in the year when civil society can come together and showcase what is happening out there and the best practice across Scotland. It is important to mention the work of the Poverty Alliance, which has co-ordinated challenge poverty week each year since 2013. Bringing together all groups and projects is no small task, especially on top of all the other work that the organisation does year round. I am pleased that we are joined in the gallery today by representatives of the Poverty Alliance, and I am sure that we are all very grateful for the work that it does and for the briefing that it provided to all members.
There is much work to do and many areas in which we need different interventions. As I said, all spheres of government must take tailored approaches to ensure that we reach everyone, no matter their background. That is evident from the themes that have been highlighted each day of this important week.
We could look at the issue of housing. We have many debates in the chamber about housing, and we have had some recently. The effects of inadequate and unaffordable housing on poverty rates are significant, and we need to understand how the housing emergency affects different groups. That is why I welcome Shelter Scotland and Engender’s research, published this week, which shows the disproportionate effects that are felt by women and the need for a gendered response to the housing emergency.
On transport, we need to support people to access their places of work, business and services and their support network. It is concerning to see the end of the off-peak rail fares pilot, which increases the costs to working people who commute to work. The distance covered by local bus services has fallen by 15 per cent since 2011-12, and the number of passenger journeys has fallen by 52 per cent since 2007-08. There is much more that we need to do in this place and across our local authorities to support and empower people to use public transport.
My friend is making a powerful speech, highlighting that poor mental health—it is world mental health day today—is a critical factor and is driven by the symptoms of poverty. In particular, people seeking asylum in Scotland are being denied free bus travel. That has had a huge effect on their mental health and is particularly egregious. Does Paul O’Kane agree that, if we are to deal with poor mental health in this country, we need to solve the scourge of poverty in every possible way?
I thank my friend for his intervention; he makes an important point. As we discuss these thematic issues, it is clear to me that poor health, particularly poor mental health, can be a result of poverty and that poverty can be a social determinant of health. We need to deal with that in a very serious way. It is important that we put that on the record today and think about what our interventions can be in that space. I also thank Paul Sweeney for the work that he does in that regard and for the work that he has done on free travel for asylum seekers, who are some of the poorest individuals in our society.
Adequate income is an important theme of this week. In-work poverty is at record levels, and we need to look at the level of income that working people receive to make sure that it meets their needs. I point to the work of Close the Gap, representatives of which I and my Scottish Labour colleagues met yesterday, along with other members of the End Child Poverty coalition. Close the Gap has highlighted that inadequate income for women and the gender pay gap are directly tied to child poverty. That is why I welcome the work that the UK Government is doing to introduce the new deal for working people, which will begin to tackle the insecurity, instability and low pay in work that add to poverty.
I am listening carefully to what Paul O’Kane is saying. He mentions child poverty. He knows where I am going here—the issue of the two-child benefit cap. Will he join me in calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to review that in the upcoming budget?
Ms Haughey and I have debated these issues many times, and she knows that I am committed to a review of universal credit that includes the two-child limit. That work has been set in the context of the child poverty task force, which the UK Government is taking forward. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions began that work along with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson. The work is important, because—as I have said many times in the chamber—universal credit does not work. All parts of it need to be reviewed, and a considered piece of work must be done to review those issues in relation to reducing child poverty.
I want to touch briefly on the work that is being done on food insecurity, across this week and more broadly by organisations. We all know that it is a travesty that food banks are necessary in modern-day Scotland and we all want to work for a society in which nobody needs to rely on them. However, they demonstrate the best of people in our communities, who want to throw their arms around those who are most in need.
I take this opportunity to highlight the many community groups in my region that run food banks, food pantries and food security projects. They do admirable work. It is not only about the provision of food but about taking a holistic view of how to support people who most need it. Often, that approach can support people with their mental health and with what is going on in their life. I point to the work of Morton in the Community, which is the charitable arm of Greenock Morton FC, and which hosts collections for Inverclyde food bank and offers a range of services at the club to support people.
I am conscious of time. I finish by mentioning one further thing that has been highlighted this week, which is sustainable funding for the third sector. All these projects are vitally important, but organisations cannot continue to do that work without sustainable and fair funding. I know that the minister and the Government have heard me speak about that, and it is very important that we reflect on it today. I hope that the minister will be able to cover that in summing up.
I am grateful for the debate, and I hope that it is constructive.
I advise members that, because we have a 2 o’clock start for the afternoon’s business, we must stick to time. Otherwise, it is not fair to the parliamentary staff who are required to clear the chamber before we resume our business. I ask members to stick to their allotted time, which is up to four minutes.
12:56
I am grateful to Paul O’Kane for securing today’s debate. I acknowledge the efforts of the Poverty Alliance and the wider third sector, not just in co-ordinating challenge poverty week but in challenging poverty day in, day out. I will focus most of my remarks on areas of consensus across the chamber, based on the challenge poverty week themes.
We are all agreed that there are challenges with housing supply. Parliament has declared a housing emergency across Scotland, and my local council has declared one in South Lanarkshire. Equally, there is a housing emergency in England and Wales. I therefore welcome the First Minister’s announcement of nearly £600 million for social and affordable housing this year, which will build on the Scottish National Party Government’s delivery of nearly 135,000 such homes, including around 5,400 in South Lanarkshire.
In the spirit of consensus, I encourage Labour colleagues to ensure that the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s first budget tackles the housing emergency. Rachel Reeves must reverse the £1.3 billion cut to Scotland’s capital budget in order to unlock money for house building, and she must uprate local housing allowance to help low-income households that are struggling with rent.
On transport, because of the Scottish Government’s expansion of concessionary bus travel to under-22s, more than 2 million people in Scotland, including older and disabled people, can now travel for free by bus. There is agreement across the chamber about improving our bus system, and the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 gives local authorities the power to run local bus services to fit local needs. I also welcome the Scottish Government’s work on integrating different transport methods. In East Kilbride, parts of the town, including the village of Stewartfield, do not have adequate bus services and many people need to drive or take a bus to use the train. An integrated ticket system and improved bus service would help people to leave the car at home and, importantly, tackle the effects of poverty.
On adequate incomes, the Scottish Government established an expert group, including representatives from all five parties, to consider a minimum income guarantee. I look forward to reading its final report when it is published soon.
With the limited powers of devolution, the SNP Government has built a new social security system in Scotland that is based on the principles of fairness, dignity and respect. That system delivers 15 benefits, seven of which are unique to Scotland. From the game-changing Scottish child payment to the adult disability payment, we are supporting around 1.2 million people and tackling poverty. The carer support payment is financially supporting unpaid carers, and the carers allowance supplement tops up their incomes beyond the United Kingdom system.
I would like to say much more, but I need to conclude. Since it was reconvened 25 years ago, the Parliament has made great strides in challenging and tackling poverty.
Will the member take an intervention?
The member is about to conclude, I hope.
With policies such as free personal care for everyone who needs it, concessionary bus travel for people young and old, and the Scottish child payment, which is estimated to be keeping 60,000 kids out of poverty this year, the Parliament is delivering measures that benefit all our citizens and tackle inequality.
Could you please bring your remarks to a close, Ms Stevenson?
As we reflect on this challenge poverty week, I hope that we can build on those steps and work together to eradicate the scourge of poverty on our society.
13:01
I thank my friend Paul O’Kane for securing this members’ business debate. It is encouraging to have the Parliament engage in not one, but two debates this year regarding challenge poverty week. It is important that we as MSPs always remember that we are here to serve the whole of Scotland, with special regard for the most vulnerable among our citizens. Whatever decisions are made in this building, we must always think first and foremost of how they will affect them. In that spirit, I do not think that it will surprise anyone to hear that I want to spend my time highlighting the continued difficulties of disabled people in Scotland.
Some might say that the debate is not about a disability issue and that we should focus solely on the core issue of poverty. To those people, I say that we cannot truly challenge poverty without confronting the frankly disturbing figures that describe the dire straits in which disabled people find themselves.
Only around 50 per cent of registered working-age disabled people are in employment, compared to more than 80 per cent of their non-disabled counterparts, and 25 per cent of individuals in families with at least one disabled member live in income poverty, compared to 16 per cent of individuals in households with no disabled member. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s 2023 data, 23 per cent of families with a disabled member are behind on at least one bill and 30 per cent have no savings to fall back on.
There can be no argument that disabled people are being left behind. That is not a political point; it is a recognition of the reality in which we find ourselves today. Scotland in the 21st century is not a place that allows all disabled people to thrive. What will we do about it? This is challenge poverty week, after all. How will we challenge disabled poverty?
The simplest way to begin to address the source is to listen to disabled people. We must give them a strong voice. I would be willing to bet that many of my colleagues across the chamber and across all levels of Government were not aware of some of the staggering figures that I read out. That is not because they do not care, but because disabled people do not have the time, energy or resources to make their voices heard.
Before the end of this year, the Scottish Parliament will probably be asked to vote on a proposal to give disabled people a champion who can speak on their behalf. A lot of noise has been made about crowded landscapes and the fact that organisations already exist that should be providing that voice. However, the reality is that they are not. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland—all of them—are clearly not picking up the slack.
If the Parliament does not support that proposal, then we will be asking disabled people to trust that the institutions that have let them down time and again will, all of a sudden, change. However, if they have not done so before, why should we believe that they will in the future?
If we really want to challenge poverty—if we really want to challenge disabled poverty—we will vote to give disabled people that voice. We will vote for a disability commissioner. Forget the politics—let us do the right thing.
13:05
I thank Paul O’Kane for securing this debate in such a significant and important week. I thank the many organisations across Scotland, especially the Poverty Alliance, which we have heard is here today, for such a successful challenge poverty week 2024, for getting organisations across Scotland to focus efforts and increase public support for tackling poverty, and for highlighting the realities of and solutions to it.
People have come together in communities, organisations, schools and even in this Parliament to rise against poverty, discuss the solutions to it and support people living with it. Right now, in Scotland, more than 1 million people live in poverty—one in four of those is a child. In some areas of Glasgow, the region that I represent, more than half of children are living in poverty.
We know that poverty disproportionately impacts certain groups the hardest. I echo much of what my colleagues Jeremy Balfour and Paul O’Kane have said on that matter. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report found that children and working-age adults in a family where someone is disabled were three times as likely to experience low income. The Educational Institute of Scotland’s recent report, “Standing Up to Poverty”, states that
“children who live alongside 3 or more other children in the household, those with a disabled household member, minority ethnic households, and single parent households are all at ... greater risk”.
Also, as Close the Gap reminded us ahead of the debate, women are more likely to be in poverty than men, more likely to experience in-work poverty than men and more likely to experience persistent poverty than men.
Poverty is a scandal. It widens inequality and it holds people back. We cannot and must not tolerate that, because there should be no class, glass or step ceiling in the way of opportunity. The problems that are put in the way are great. The scale of the challenge is extreme, so the scale of action must match it. We need action on housing, including on the affordable housing supply programme, to ensure that people, including children, live in safe, secure and permanent homes. That is why many organisations are disappointed that the housing budget was cut and have urged the Government to respond to the housing emergency swiftly and with a resourced plan.
We need action to support the families who need it the most by meeting the costs that they face, including fuel and travel costs. On travel costs, I echo my colleagues Paul O’Kane and Paul Sweeney in their call for the Government to look at the issues of peak fares and travel for asylum seekers. We need to reduce costs for disabled people, including by ending care charges, which I am disappointed to say still exist, despite the Government saying that it would scrap them.
Access to food is also crucial, so free school meals for all pupils is key. I hope that the Government will listen to Parliament and others and consider fulfilling the promise that it made in that regard, because the Child Poverty Action Group has found that 20 per cent of children in poverty in Scotland are missing out on free school meals.
Where actions in those areas fall short, third sector organisations step in. That is why fair funding for the third sector, which has been highlighted this week, is key. The issue is about not only overall resource, but how the Government offers and handles that funding. In particular, all late decisions and in-year movements are unsettling. For many people in insecure roles, that affects morale, retention and delivery of critical front-line services. Despite that, people who work in the third sector work tirelessly and passionately to improve lives every day.
Ahead of this week, organisations have set out what they want policy makers to do, or at least to consider. There is a range of asks to unlock people from the grip of poverty, and it covers a wide spectrum, including housing, transport, adequate incomes, food costs of the school day and even the unequal distribution of pay and work.
We on the Labour benches know that there is no silver bullet, but also that doing nothing must not be an option. That is why my party is working in government to take action to tackle poverty at its roots with the new deal for working people, with Great British energy bringing well-paid jobs to Scotland and bringing down bills, and with ending tax breaks for private schools, so that we have more money for state schools—
Ms Duncan-Glancy, you must conclude, please.
Those are just some examples of what we can do to end poverty in Scotland.
13:09
I thank Paul O’Kane for his motion and for securing this important debate during challenge poverty week. I am grateful, too, for briefings from third sector organisations for this debate and the Scottish Government one on Tuesday, and I am grateful for all the work of the Poverty Alliance and its members in organising this annual series of events and projects and in advocating for urgent and vital policies to address both the causes and symptoms of poverty.
The North East Scotland region, which I represent, spans a wide spectrum in terms of poverty statistics. Of all Scottish local authorities, Dundee City Council has the fifth highest percentage of data zones that are in the 20 per cent most deprived in Scotland, while Aberdeenshire is towards the other end of the scale. More than 28 per cent of children in Dundee live in poverty, as do nearly 25 per cent of those in Angus, whereas the figure in Aberdeen City is approaching 22 per cent, and in Aberdeenshire it is less than 17 per cent. All those figures are too high.
People experience poverty in different ways and, in many ways, being poor in a relatively prosperous rural area can be more difficult and isolating than if one is sharing that common experience with a greater number of neighbours. The Poverty Alliance network includes organisations that support and represent people in poverty across Scotland, in cities, towns and rural areas. Their actions and work are truly valued.
Just as poverty takes different forms in different places, people with particular characteristics or identities might be, through structural oppression and prejudice, made more likely to experience poverty. Some of the most acute forms of poverty and destitution are imposed on migrants, including those seeking asylum, who are neither permitted to work freely nor entitled to receive social security payments. The Grampian Regional Equality Council, which is based in Aberdeen, has carried out a successful project on no recourse to public funds to raise awareness of that situation, share experiences and work with others in the No Recourse North East Partnership to mitigate its worst impacts.
Meanwhile, in Dundee, many community organisations are working to help local people and families to cope with the effects of food and energy inflation. One such is Hilltown Community Larder, which, for a small payment, provides a range of groceries to members as well as offering signposting to other support services.
In Dundee, yesterday, as part of challenge poverty week, Circle Scotland CIC’s mobility hire service, Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau, Hillcrest housing association, Dundee International Women’s Centre, Stobswell Forum and Dundee Carers Centre came together at the Boomerang Community Centre. Together with council staff, they spoke about the impacts of fuel poverty and other forms of on-going poverty in the city, providing advice to those affected and raising wider awareness of the gravity of these issues. In Angus, Home Energy Scotland is offering free advice on energy saving in its get ready for winter events—one was held yesterday in Arbroath and there is another tomorrow in Forfar. All those groups, people and communities are coming together and helping one another.
Scotland is so rich in community and third sector organisations, large and small, depending largely on volunteers who give their time and energy with care, compassion and a deep-seated sense of justice and solidarity. They also share common concerns and anxieties about the financial sustainability of their work. Without secure multiyear funding, essential services are thrown into turmoil, with organisations unable to make decisions about staffing, premises and the projects on which vulnerable people rely.
As I said in my speech in Tuesday’s debate, challenging poverty means recognising its realities, mitigating its effects and making structural changes to transform the way in which our society works. All those tasks involve the dedicated work of third sector organisations, and none would be possible without them. Those organisations deserve not only our thanks and commendation, but financial certainty, security and respect.
13:14
I am pleased to contribute to Paul O’Kane’s members’ business debate to highlight the importance of challenge poverty week 2024. I will use my time to raise an important issue that I have been looking into for quite some time. It relates to Paul O’Kane’s opening speech, in which he mentioned the importance of food provision.
When I was the Conservative spokesperson for children and young people, I visited a Stirling food bank after I was contacted by an individual who wanted to help families with babies but had come across a huge barrier to supplying baby milk to families in need. Milk is, of course, essential for the first stages of an infant’s life and, if the mother is unable to breastfeed, they rely solely on baby milk formula. The nutrients that are contained in the milk are vital for a baby’s healthy growth and development. However, keeping up with the cost of bottles and tins can leave many mothers who are struggling financially in a worrying situation. To put that into context, it can cost up to £18 per 800g for baby formula powder. I know from when my baby, Charlotte, was growing up that that can involve a lot of tins over a very short period of time.
At present, food banks are not permitted to accept or distribute infant formula donations. Although I fully accept that that guidance comes from UNICEF rather than the Scottish Government or the UK Government, it makes no sense to me whatsoever to deny a family that vital product, which they might need to help to provide for their child.
Local authorities, health boards and public health teams play an important role in identifying families and meeting their needs with regard to infant formula through wraparound care. However, for quite some time, I have been concerned about families falling through gaps in the system. Some families will go to a food bank when they hit crisis point, instead of following the direct services route that I mentioned.
UNICEF suggests that food banks should contact health visiting services, public health teams, local authorities or health boards to agree on a referral strategy for families who are in crisis and need support. However, that can be a very long process involving layers of bureaucracy. Families who need to feed their babies need that help directly. They simply cannot wait to go through the various layers of the system.
The healthy start scheme is another route, but it is not immediate, and not all families are eligible to use it.
I understand the risks of food banks handing out baby milk, but I also understand the risks of buying baby milk from a supermarket. In my view, those risks are exactly the same. There must be a way round the issue. A supermarket in Buxton was able to support a local paper’s campaign to support the High Peak Baby Bank, which led to people being able to donate items from supermarkets, including formula, wipes and food.
However, the guidance must be clearer. In my view, it is simply common sense to ensure that families are able to access baby milk formula if they need to. I would welcome the opportunity to speak to the minister at a future point to talk about how we can engage with UNICEF directly to see whether there is any way of overcoming such barriers for charities and organisations that do a wonderful job to help families in need.
This is challenge poverty week. I hope that there will come a day when families do not need to rely on food banks, but until we tackle the root causes of poverty, we must ensure that such vital items are available to support families with babies. I fully believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life. One way in which we can improve the health and wellbeing of babies in Scotland is by looking at whether baby milk can be supplied through food banks. I urge the Scottish Government to do that. I am more than happy to work with the Government on the matter so that a commonsense approach can be adopted to tackling poverty in Scotland.
13:18
I welcome Paul O’Kane’s members’ business debate on challenge poverty week, which follows on from the Scottish Government’s significant debate on the issue that was held on Tuesday. I thank all the anti-poverty organisations that have provided briefings for the debate.
Poverty can often be hidden behind closed doors or masked by pride, but it is a persistent and systemic issue. Unfortunately, it can involve parents and elderly people choosing between heating and eating, which is not a choice that any of us, as parliamentarians, face. Therefore, it is up to us to push for the change that we need.
Tackling child poverty is one of the SNP Government’s biggest priorities, and it is one that we remain firmly focused on. We prioritise those who are most in need through a range of policies, including the Scottish child payment, which, as the Poverty and Inequality Commission noted, has been described as a “game changer” and is one of the main contributors to progress in reducing child poverty at the national level.
When I spoke in last year’s debate on this topic, I listed the many organisations in my community that challenge poverty not just for one week but for 365 days of the year. That remains true today. There are simply so many that I cannot name them all, but it is important to me to put on record my thanks to Golden Friendships, Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels, Faifley food share, East Dunbartonshire Foodbank, Dalmuir Barclay church community pantry, West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare, the Recycle Room, East Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau, Improving Lives, West Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau, Clydebank group holidays, advice staff in East and West Dunbartonshire Councils, Clydebank Asbestos Group and so many more.
Every day, those organisations are saving lives. Every day, they show kindness, warmth and dedication to serving those most in need and, in turn, make our communities better places. I look forward to seeing all those wonderful organisations at my cost of living event next month—an event to which they all come, ready to help our communities.
The fact that such groups must exist in this day and age is appalling, and the UK welfare regime that fuels their existence needs a radical overhaul to make it fit for purpose. So far, unfortunately, there has just been more of the same. Indeed, for many pensioners, things are now getting even worse.
There has been no movement on child poverty, either. Despite good efforts by the previous Labour Government, Labour has now become the party of child poverty. I am thinking of the two-child policy and the abhorrent rape clause. The fact is that Labour has not just kept children in poverty but actively dragged them into it, because, as a new report from CPAG has stated, every day that the two-child policy remains in place, 109 children are pulled into poverty. CPAG has made it clear that
“Scrapping”
the two-child limit
“is the most cost-effective way to stop more kids being pulled into poverty on the”
UK
“government’s watch”.
Labour MSPs should demand that it be scrapped in the budget, and I hope that they do, but so far this week they have failed to do so. I give credit where credit is due, though, and commend Richard Leonard and Alex Rowley for their actions. It was good to see that.
It is very telling that the SNP has done more than today’s new Labour Party to keep in place a Gordon Brown policy to keep pensioners warm this winter. Unfortunately, real change is not coming, and it looks like—
Will the member give way?
Marie McNair will be concluding quite soon.
I generally would take an intervention—I would really like to hear what the member has to say—but I need to keep going.
Unfortunately, real change is not coming. To adapt a previous slogan from new Labour, it looks like things can only get worse.
The powers of independence will let us leave this tragedy behind. With the powers of independence, we can truly challenge poverty. Only with control over our own affairs can we do that and truly achieve a more equal and poverty-free Scotland.
Thank you, Ms McNair. I now call on the Minister for Equalities, Kaukab Stewart, to respond to the debate.
13:22
I thank Paul O’Kane for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I thank members for their speeches and I will try to respond to as many of them as possible.
Listening to what has been said today and reflecting on the many activities that are happening this week reinforces for me the point that Paul O’Kane made that tackling poverty is a collective effort and a national mission. I, too, am grateful to the hundreds of third sector organisations that are working tirelessly to support and advocate for those in poverty, often providing lifeline support to those who need it most.
Ending child poverty is this Government’s foremost priority, but we can achieve that only by tackling the deep-rooted causes of inequalities in our society and ensuring that every community can thrive. Despite an incredibly challenging fiscal context, we have continued to invest around £3 billion each year since 2022-23 on policies that tackle child poverty and protect people from the effects of the cost of living crisis. Those policies include the Scottish child payment, which is providing absolutely essential support in that respect. Indeed, Ruth Boyle of the Poverty Alliance, who I know is in the chamber today, told the Social Justice and Social Security Committee that the payment is having a clear impact on parents’ ability to provide the essentials that their children require. Meghan Gallacher made some very legitimate comments about food insecurities and I will consider her proposals.
Our policies include free bus travel for more than 2 million people, support for young and old people with disabilities to access essential services and live fuller lives, and helping people to keep warm in winter with guaranteed support through our winter heating payment for those on low incomes, including those on pension credit and other relevant benefits.
We are delivering support to those who need it most. Scottish Government modelling, which was published in February, estimates that this Government’s policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25.
I will now take some time to refer to members’ speeches. I heard several calls for fairer funding for the third sector, and we are committed to developing that approach, which provides clarity and stability in order to secure the sector’s resilience and grow its capacity.
However, it is important to recognise that multiyear funding is challenging to deliver in the current context because any commitments will, inevitably, reduce flexibility in future years. Where possible, we aim to increase the number of multiyear grant offers to third sector organisations.
Housing was mentioned by Paul O’Kane, Collette Stevenson and Pam Duncan-Glancy. It is critical to tackling poverty, which is why we declared a housing emergency in May and have been working at pace since then to take urgent action. We have committed £100 million to grow investment and support the construction of around 2,800 mid-market rent homes, and we have invested £22 million in the charitable bond programme to support more than 150 new affordable homes.
Paul O’Kane’s motion mentions ethnic minorities, and we acknowledge that too many people from ethnic minority backgrounds are living in poverty. We are taking wide-ranging action to tackle the deep-rooted inequalities. That includes investing £6.3 million through our equality and human rights fund across 2021-25 to support race equality and anti-racism organisations, such as BEMIS Scotland, the Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project and Amina—the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, to provide targeted support for ethnic minority communities, including advice, advocacy and training.
The Scottish Government also recognises the lived experience and reality of disabled people and the multiple barriers that they face, as well as the fact that real change is needed. Once again, I thank Jeremy Balfour for his articulate and impassioned work on that issue, which he raises continually, as he should.
We continue to work closely with disabled people’s organisations to develop and implement a plan that is informed by the lived experience of disabled people, and I have been attending such meetings very recently. The Government shares Jeremy Balfour’s commitment to improving outcomes, and we will carefully consider the detail of the bill that he referred to.
Will the minister take an intervention?
I do not have the time to do so, unfortunately.
Being mindful of time, I would like to mention that the UK Government has a role to play in this matter. There is clear evidence that the policies of the previous UK Government, such as the two-child limit, which was mentioned by Marie McNair, are actively pushing vulnerable families into deepening poverty, and that more and more households are affected by that. Other members have mentioned the work of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Presiding Officer, I know that my allocated time is coming to an end. I am proud of the action that we have taken. Challenge poverty week is a powerful reminder of both the reality of poverty and the fact that it is not inevitable. By working together across all Governments and sectors and with people with lived experience, we can bring about lasting change.
13:29 Meeting suspended.Air ais
First Minister’s Question TimeAir adhart
Portfolio Question Time