Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Child Poverty

Wednesday 23 June 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister regularly discusses welfare matters with Scottish Government through joint ministerial working group.
  • Acknowledgment of DWP staff efforts in supporting families during the pandemic.
  • OECD report highlights concerning findings on child poverty in Scotland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Cunningham Lab
Scotland Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

The Scottish Government's new child payment programme and recent discussions on the topic.

Question

What recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on efforts to reduce child poverty in Scotland. Through the joint ministerial working group on welfare, I regularly discuss welfare matters with Ministers from the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions. Our most recent meeting included a discussion of the new Scottish child payment.

Answer from Iain Stewart

Let me first take this opportunity to thank Department for Work and Pensions staff in Scotland and across the UK who have provided unprecedented levels of support to families during the pandemic. It is a mark of their dedication that the system has coped well with the extra demand that we placed on it. Through the joint ministerial working group on welfare, I regularly discuss welfare matters with Ministers from the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions. Our most recent meeting included a discussion of the new Scottish child payment, which was delivered through the powers in the Scotland Act 2016.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific details about discussions on reducing child poverty were not provided, only mentioning that they discuss welfare matters and recently discussed the new Scottish child payment programme.

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Q2 Alex Cunningham Lab
Economy Employment Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

The economic situation leading to children growing up in poverty despite working parents.

Question

I join the Minister in paying tribute to DWP staff. Perhaps the Government could respond by giving them a decent pay rise this year. According to the Child Poverty Action Group, over two thirds of children growing up in poverty in Scotland live in a household where someone is actually working. That is a damning indictment of the economy under both the Tories and the SNP—low pay, insecure work and children growing up in poverty. Does the Minister accept that both Governments need a fundamental rethink of their strategy to tackle child poverty?

Answer from Iain Stewart

We are putting in considerable support in a whole range of ways, such as through increases in the living wage. One of the challenges of the pandemic is to ensure that new employment opportunities are there, and this Government and the Scottish Government do work well on co-ordinating our various schemes, such as the kickstart process, to make sure that those jobs are secure and sustainable for the future. It is not just about jobs, of course; it is also about issues such as the quality of education. I know there are significant issues with the stewardship of the Scottish education system under the Scottish Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific request for a pay rise and fundamental rethink, only provided general support measures.

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Q3 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Scotland Children & Families
Context

Statistics showing child poverty rising across all local authorities since the SNP came to power.

Question

The Scottish Government recently spoke of making the eradication of child poverty a “national mission”. Those are welcome words, but statistics released last month show that child poverty has risen in every single local authority in Scotland since the Scottish First Minister took office. Indeed, the last national mission for the SNP—there have been plenty—was closing the attainment gap, which the OECD has said will not be possible with the levels of poverty that exist in Scotland. Can the Minister explain now what he is doing to try to resolve the shocking levels of child poverty in Scotland to show that this Tory Government really do care and to actually try to deal with some of the SNP's failings in Holyrood?

Answer from Iain Stewart

The hon. Gentleman rightly refers to the OECD report, which came out this week and which I have read. It does contain some very worrying findings. It is yet another reason why the Scottish Government should be focusing on the day job of improving services for people in Scotland, rather than obsessing about constitutional matters. On the wider point he makes about child poverty, throughout this Government's period in office we have done a huge amount of reform to increase the take-home pay of people at the lower end of the income scale. For example, we have massively increased the personal tax allowance, which allows people to keep more money in their pocket.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions for resolving child poverty but mentioned previous reforms and a general commitment.

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