Alison Johnstone: The result of the division is: For 63, Against 27, Abstentions 24. Motion agreed to, That 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...
Maggie Chapman: Poverty is a slow violence that strikes children and those who care for them in the heart and in their bodies, their minds, their hopes, their dreams and their futures. However, it is possible to change that for hundreds of thousands of children in Scotland, and if it is possible, we must do it. Rowan Williams, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote in his afterword to “A Good...
Paula Bradshaw: ...out to consultation as possible over the summer. I thank the Member for her comment. In Communities, we saw regulations yesterday on the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill and the child support enforcement Bill. They align with the rest of the UK and should lead to notable efficiencies of clear benefit to the population as a whole, so, of course, we support them. Personally,...
Danny Donnelly: ...in 2001, the first to do so in the millennium. Since then, for more than 20 years, it has been a leading light in the field of integrated education in the area. The school provides education for children between the ages of four and 11 from all faith or no faith backgrounds, and it is committed to providing the highest standard of education for every pupil. The staff and pupils celebrated...
Colin McGrath: The best involvement that children can have with social services is no involvement because it is not required. When we asked Professor Jones that question last week, he cited things such as the two-child benefit cap and the lack of a poverty strategy as contributors to the conditions that mean that children will require involvement with social services. What work is the Minister doing with...
Ciara Ferguson: The Committee for Communities supports the approval of the Child Support Fees (Revocation) Regulations (NI) 2024. The Committee considered the statutory rule at its meeting on 29 February 2024. At that meeting, Committee members were briefed by departmental officials. Following review and discussions, the Committee recommended that the regulations be approved by the Assembly. The Committee...
Ciara Ferguson: As Deputy Chairperson, I support the Child Support (Management of Payments and Arrears) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2023. The Committee considered the statutory rule at its meeting on 22 February 2024. At that meeting, members were briefed by officials from the Department who provided an overview of the regulations. As the Minister outlined, the amendments allow the Child Maintenance Service...
Maggie Chapman: ...and individuals who contributed to our scrutiny, in person at committee, in written evidence and briefings and in meetings. Citizens Advice Scotland, Advice Talks Ltd, Money Advice Scotland, the Child Poverty Action Group and so many others have all helped to make the bill, and the regulations that accompany it, stronger and more robust. During our committee scrutiny, we spent...
Maggie Chapman: We need a clear statement in law that arrestment of benefits is not competent. I hope that I am not the only member who believes that it should not be possible to take away from people child or adult disability payments, Scottish child payments or any other benefits to which they are entitled. My amendment 24 seeks to make that clear in the bill because, as Colin Smyth has already...
Kate Forbes: ...it is less than what the Conservatives were promising. When it comes to the Scottish Government’s position on the budget, we look at the EU structural funds and the projects that have benefited from them. From the Highlands to the Lowlands, there has been significant benefit. We will continue to maximise the funding that is available to ensure that we tackle child poverty,...
Natalie Don: I thank Ms Adamson for highlighting the important issue of the child safety week campaign, which runs from 3 to 9 June this year. I echo the words and sentiments of Jackie Dunbar, Bob Doris and Martin Whitfield in relation to Ms Adamson’s commitment and dedication. Keeping children and young people safe from accidental harm at home or in their communities is, and will remain, an...
Paul Givan: ...Show'; we will stay here in the Assembly. I am grateful to have the opportunity to respond to some of the issues, and I will pick up on some of the Members' contributions in due course. Every child has a right to high-quality education in a setting of their parents' or carers' choice, where they can be happy learning and succeeding. I am committed to delivering better outcomes for all...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: ...has taken away stress from them and they have reassurance through the support that they have been given. I also point to the fact that Social Security Scotland is now administering 14 benefits, seven of which are available only in Scotland. We have £1.1 billion more expenditure on social security than we get from Westminster. Just under half of that—£0.5 billion—is for the...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: Eradicating child poverty is this Government’s defining mission. As the First Minister has made clear since his appointment in May, our ambition is not to tackle or reduce child poverty but to eradicate it completely. There will never be an acceptable number of children in poverty. Today, I have published the Scottish Government’s annual progress report on child poverty for...
Paul Givan: ...significant capital pressures, particularly for special educational needs (SEN) placements. Therefore, difficult decisions will continue to be required on prioritisation. My vision is that every child is educated in a high-quality learning environment, and the school enhancement programme is key to delivering on that by providing significant improvements to a school's teaching and learning...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: Eradicating child poverty in Scotland is the First Minister’s, and the Government’s, top priority. We are providing a range of support to families, including our game-changing Scottish child payment, which—as statistics that were published this week show—was benefiting more than 329,000 children by the end of March. We have also funded childcare, free bus travel for under-22s and free...
Shirley-Anne Somerville: The latest research demonstrates the impact of the Scottish child payment in assisting people who are struggling to feed their families. It has successfully reduced food bank usage for specific types of households. The families of more than 329,000 under-16s were benefiting from the Scottish child payment at the end of March. However, I absolutely recognise that we need to do more, because...
