One fifth of children in Scotland in poverty; action needed says Johnstone
New figures showing one fifth of children in Scotland live in families that are in poverty and cannot afford basic necessities underline the need for action, according to Alison Johnstone MSP, Social Security spokesperson for the Scottish Greens.
The statistics indicate that 20 per cent of children in Scotland live in material deprivation, so cannot afford basics such as being able to repair or replace a broken kettle.
Alison Johnstone MSP said:
“These figures underline the need for action on child poverty, and Greens are determined to build on the recent progress we’ve made. Following our pressure, Scottish Ministers have agreed to roll-out programmes through the NHS to ensure vulnerable families get the benefits they’re entitled to, they have agreed to stop benefits sanctions on devolved work programmes, and my amendment to the Child Poverty Bill means ministers will have to state whether they plan to use benefit top-up powers.
"We must see action from government to reduce housing and energy costs, roll-out a real living wage, and bring in a fairer system of income tax to ensure those on modest wages are able to keep more of what they earn.”