As an amendment to motion S6M-13566 in the name of John Swinney (Scottish Government Priorities: Eradicating Child Poverty), leave out from "with spend" to end and insert "but notes with deep concern the findings in the report, Child Poverty Delivery Plan progress 2023-2024, by the Poverty and Inequality Commission that it is unlikely that interim targets will be met and that, without immediate and significant action, the Scottish Government will not meet the 2030 targets; recognises the balance of action required across the three drivers of poverty reduction, which are income from employment, the cost of living and income from social security, as well as the need to drive improvements in wellbeing and outcomes for children and families; warns of the threat that UK Government austerity poses to the action and ambition of the Scottish Government in eradicating child poverty; notes modelling that estimates that 100,000 children will be kept out of relative poverty in the current year as a result of Scottish Government policies; further notes modelling that estimates that a further 40,000 children in Scotland could be lifted out of poverty were the UK Government to make key changes to social security, including by introducing an Essentials Guarantee and abolishing the two-child limit; notes the findings of the latest update to the Local indicators of child poverty after housing costs statistics, produced by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, that constituency-level child poverty rates are directly and strongly correlated with the percentage of children affected by the two-child limit in that local area; calls, therefore, on the incoming UK administration to make the abolition of this policy an immediate priority, and further calls on the Scottish Government to act upon the recommendations of the Poverty and Inequality Commission in order to deliver the transformational change required to meet Scotland’s targets."
Submitted by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party, Date lodged: Monday, June 10, 2024
Supported by: Jamie Hepburn, Paul McLennan, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Kaukab Stewart
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Submitted by: Paul O'Kane, West Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date lodged: Monday, June 10, 2024
Supported by: Michael Marra
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Submitted by: Douglas Ross, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date lodged: Monday, June 10, 2024
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Tuesday, June 11, 2024