Greens call Holyrood vote on raising Scottish Child Payment to £55
The amendment, lodged by Holly Bruce MSP, calls for the payment to increase to £40 a week, rising to at least £55 by the end of this parliamentary term.
The payment currently provides £28.20 a week for every eligible child under 16, supporting more than 321,000 children across Scotland. The Scottish Government has only committed to increasing it to £40 for children under one.
Holly's amendment, which has been lodged as an amendment to the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, calls for decisive action to tackle the financial inequality faced by women and to eradicate child poverty.
It also calls for extra support for young parents to tackle the UK Government’s Young Parent Penalty, which means parents under 25 receive less Universal Credit than older parents.
Scottish Greens social justice spokesperson Holly Bruce MSP said:
“Child poverty is the result of political choices, and this Parliament has the power to make different ones.
"The Scottish Child Payment has already transformed lives and kept thousands of children out of poverty. Now we must build on that progress by increasing it to £40 a week for every eligible child, before progressively raising it to at least £55 by the end of this parliamentary term.
“For families struggling with soaring food, energy and housing costs, this would mean more money for warm clothes, healthy meals and the everyday essentials every child deserves.
“The Scottish Government’s plan to increase the Scottish Child Payment to £40 only for children under one does not go nearly far enough. Every child experiencing poverty deserves support, regardless of their age.
“If the First Minister says he wants to eradicate child poverty, he should work with the Scottish Greens to deliver the bold investment families need and give every child the best possible start in life.
“My amendment would put Parliament firmly behind increasing the payment to £40 for every eligible child, before progressively raising it to £55 by the end of this Parliament.”
Holly added:
“Child poverty and women’s poverty are inseparable. Women are more likely to carry responsibility for childcare, manage household budgets and go without when there is not enough money to meet their family’s basic needs.
“We also know that poverty, and violence against women and girls, are deeply connected, with economic hardship increasing the risk of abuse, whilst trapping survivors in poverty. That is why I welcome the First Minister’s pledge to end violence against women and to put it at the heart of his government’s ambitions for the coming year and beyond.
“Young parents are also being unfairly penalised by a Westminster benefits system that assumes they need less money simply because of their age. That injustice is recognised and addressed in my amendment.”
Text of Holly’s amendment
Insert at end, “calls for decisive and committed action to disrupt financial inequality between women and men to eradicate child poverty, and further recognises the need for targeted action to confront women’s poverty as a vital part of realising this mission; supports the progressive increase to the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for all children, not just those under 1 year old, with the goal of £55 per week by the end of this Parliament; and believes that an increase to the Scottish Child Payment for young parents must be made to compensate for the UK Government’s Young Parent Penalty”